


Burning Bridges And Forging Doors

by MaliceManaged



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: And A Band-Aid, Attempted Sexual Assault, Canon Divergence - Thor: The Dark World, Death happens, F/M, Hiding, I need help, Loki Needs a Hug, Post-Thor: The Dark World, and blood
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-20
Updated: 2016-08-21
Packaged: 2018-07-25 18:02:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 20
Words: 23,984
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7542529
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MaliceManaged/pseuds/MaliceManaged
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>You know your day sucks when things go from attempted assault to accidental homicide. And why not add a little harbouring of an alien fugitive for good measure?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This was not what I was going to write today.
> 
> If anyone needs me; I'll be at the pillow fort of shame wallowing in my inability to stick to a plan.

    _Next time a co-worker asks you out to dinner; you turn that motherfucker down and walk the fuck away._

 

    The words were angrily hissed in Charlotte’s mind as she dashed down the street and into an alley, her ‘date’ close behind. This wasn’t how the day was supposed to end. She was just supposed to pretend to enjoy Roy’s company for an hour or two, enjoy the overly expensive dinner, and then go home and sleep until it was time to go to work again. The only reason she’d agreed to the date at all was because he’d practically cornered her in the locker room as she was grabbing her stuff to leave.

 

    In retrospect; that probably should have raised a few warning flags.

 

    Oh, well.

 

    As he was driving her home, Roy found it appropriate to place his hand on Charlotte’s leg; she bit back everything she’d wanted to say, opting instead for pointedly grabbing his wrist and moving it away. That served to make him angry and he began to throw insults at her and accused her of leading him on. When he moved to grab her, she reacted by grabbing her purse and throwing it at his face hard enough to split his lip then opened the car door and jumped out, thanking whatever god wanted the credit that he’d been driving slowly at the time and there were no other cars around to run her over.

 

    Charlotte was almost all the way down the path, the end in sight splitting off left and right, when she felt a hand grab her long red hair and yank back harshly, causing her to let out a pained cry.

 

    “Get back here, bitch!” Roy spat at her as he pulled her against him. In response, Charlotte brought her hand up and clawed at his face, earning an angry yell as she raked her nails down his flesh, and he let her go. “You stupid _whore!”_ Roy yelled as she stumbled forward out of his reach.

 

    Charlotte wasted no time the moment she was free to keep moving. She knew she had seconds to think of something before he recovered again, and if he hadn’t wanted to kill her before, he certainly would now. As she stumbled slightly on the uneven asphalt, she spotted a piece of metal of some kind sticking out of a pile of trash; without thinking she grabbed it and swung around just as Roy reached her, the object connecting with his ribs with enough force to knock the air out of him and bring him to his knees.

 

    _Thank you, adrenaline._

 

    Just as he fell, Charlotte brought the metal - a broken pipe, later inspection would show - up high over her head and back down, connecting with Roy’s head with a rather pointed _crack_ and splattering a thin trail of blood on her face before he fell over. She stood there breathing heavily for a while, the haze of shock and adrenaline leaving her slowly, before she realised that he wasn’t moving.

 

    “Oh, shit,” Charlotte swore in a half whisper. She hesitantly leaned over Roy and poked him slightly with the pipe, but he remained still. “Oh, _fuck,”_ She swore again, slightly louder, then took a hasty step back and looked around her quickly before turning back to Roy, “Fuck!”

 

    “Well, that was... unexpected,” She heard a voice say from somewhere behind her and she turned around quickly. At one end of the alley leaning against the building was a tall pale man with long black hair and startlingly green eyes, staring at her bemusedly. He was slightly hunched over, his green shirt blotched with red in places where it clung to his frame slightly, and there were a few scratches on his face along with a rather painful looking bruise just below his left eye. “And here I was, about to get involved,” He added.

 

    “Who...” Charlotte began then stopped and shook her head slightly. “He attacked me,” She said instead, somewhat defensively, “It was self-defence.”

 

    “Yes, I gathered that,” The man replied, rolling his eyes slightly, “It was either that, or the strangest bit of foreplay I’ve ever witnessed.” He pushed off the wall and began walking towards her, ignoring the look on her face that suggested she wasn’t sure whether to laugh or think him completely insane. “The question is,” He began as he stopped half a foot away from her, “What do you intend to do now?”

 

    Charlotte turned and looked at the body then at the pipe still in her hand. She could, of course, call the police and explain what happened; she had a witness, after all. Then again, the last time she’d involved the cops in a situation it hadn’t exactly ended well, not to mention she had no idea who her witness _was_ or why he was injured and covered in blood.

 

    She could just go home, pretend the evening never happened and move on with her life.

 

    Except for the fact that there were others who knew she’d be out with Roy that evening, having been in the locker room when he’d asked and she accepted. The moment he was found she’d likely be the first person questioned, and that would probably end worse than if she admitted to killing him now. It wasn’t as though she’d _meant_ to do it; it was an accident. She wasn’t particularly sorry, considering he was going to rape and probably murder her, but that didn’t make it any more intentional.

 

    Charlotte huffed, running a hand through her hair. “I am so screwed,” She finally said.

 

    “It would seem so,” The man behind her agreed.

 

    “Fucking figures,” Charlotte spat angrily, aiming a swift kick at the dead man before her.

 

    “I would suggest hiding the body and disposing of the murder weapon,” The man behind her suggested lightly.

 

    Charlotte blinked and turned around, eyeing the man incredulously. He stared back at her wholly unconcerned. “Who the hell are you?” She asked bemusedly.

 

    “I’m Loki; and you?” He inquired pleasantly.

 

    “... Charlotte,” Charlotte replied slowly.

 

    Loki hummed slightly. “I knew a Charlotte once,” He commented thoughtfully, “Lovely woman, though not quite as deadly.”

 

    “What?” Charlotte asked, staring at him as though he’d grown a second head, “The _hell_ does that have to...”

 

    “I have a proposition for you, Charlotte,” Loki spoke over her, ignoring her question completely, “I’ll take care of this little mess for you; leave no traces that could lead to you...”

 

    “And in return?” Charlotte asked, eyeing him warily.

 

    “In return, you’ll bring me to your place of residence and provide me shelter until I’ve healed,” Loki replied.

 

    “You expect me to bring a _complete stranger_ home with me after a guy I’ve worked with for five months attacked me?” Charlotte asked sceptically, crossing her arms at her chest.

 

    Loki bristled slightly at that and narrowed his eyes at her in a glare that made her take a half step back. “If I wanted to bed you, mortal, I wouldn’t need to force you into it,” He spat coldly.

 

    “Well, how the fuck am I supposed to know that?” Charlotte snapped back defensively, “I just _met_ you.”

 

    Loki closed his eyes and took a deep breath, exhaling it slowly before opening his eyes again. “Well now you know,” He said calmly, “Do we have a deal?”

 

    Charlotte bit her lips together and looked down at the pipe in her hand, considering her options. She couldn’t help but feel that this was just too convenient. Not to mention that the man’s name sounded awfully familiar to her, though she couldn’t for the life of her remember where she’d heard it before. She breathed out a resigned sigh and looked back up at Loki. “I guess we do,” She replied.


	2. Chapter 2

    Charlotte closed the door behind her and leaned against it with a tired sigh; the day had been long and exhausting, and she was more than ready to shed her uniform and relax into a warm bath with some music and a nice glass of wine. She walked into the living room and sighed again as she bent down and picked up a black t-shirt that was _definitely_ not hers. Making her way to the guestroom, she walked in without bothering to knock and tossed the shirt at its owner, who was lounging on the bed reading.

 

    “Will you kindly stop leaving your stuff all over the house?” Charlotte spoke as soon as Loki pulled the shirt off his face and looked up to glare at her slightly, “I’m not your fucking maid.”

 

    “You’d be a rather poor one if you were,” Loki retorted, tossing the shirt to the floor beside the bed.

 

    “I work overtime most days, mostly dealing with insufferable assholes the entire shift, and I _still_ make dinner when I get back,” Charlotte snapped irritably, “The _least_ you can do is help me out by not making a mess of the place.”

 

    “One shirt hardly constitutes a mess,” Loki argued dismissively.

 

    “And I suppose the books last week don’t count, then,” Charlotte replied, crossing her arms at her chest, “Or the mess in the bathroom four days ago. Or hey, how about the dishes you use to make yourself lunch that I have to clean every fucking day! Do I need to go on?”

 

    Loki frowned slightly, having honestly not thought about any of those things. “... I suppose I could make an effort,” He conceded at length.

 

    “That’s all I’m asking,” Charlotte said, relaxing slightly, before she turned and left the room.

 

    It had been four months since she had met Loki, and he seemed to not be in much of a hurry to leave despite being fully healed. She’d asked him about it but only received vague non-answers and shrugs in response, so she simply went along with it. She had found out where she’d heard his name before; it had come to her one day after work two weeks into their arrangement and she’d stopped and confirmed her suspicions with a quick web search on her phone. She’d then proceeded to get home and toss whatever objects she could get her hands on at him while yelling about him turning her into an accomplice.

 

    Once she had calmed down, which Loki accomplished by locking himself in the bathroom and waiting until she’d gotten tired of yelling, he’d calmly reminded her that she wasn’t exactly innocent herself. That had resulted in her almost stabbing him with a pair of tweezers.

 

    He still had no idea where she even got them from.

 

    In the end Loki successfully used his injuries to play on her sympathy and get her to keep to their deal. Eventually she relaxed around him again as much as she had before, believing him when he told her he meant her no harm, and Loki was confident she wouldn’t reveal where he was to anyone. Even if the decision was a practical one, not wanting to risk the effects of guilt by association, he appreciated that; he’d been in no condition to find another place to hide, and her house was actually pretty comfortable.

 

    When he heard the bathroom door close and the sounds of the bathtub being filled, Loki walked out of his room and made his way to the kitchen. He narrowed his eyes slightly at the dishes in the sink before walking over and getting to work. He really hadn’t thought about the extra work he’d been giving Charlotte; he’d simply been too focused on recovering to pay it any mind. He had no such excuse now and she was right; if he was going to overstay his initial welcome, he could at least not be a burden. Once the dishes were clean Loki walked to the hallway and listened, hearing the sounds of an opera playing in the bathroom, then walked back, figuring he had enough time.

 

****

 

    Charlotte considered listening to the opera one more time, or maybe playing another one, not really wanting to leave the tub just yet. Her stomach, however, had other ideas. With a sigh that was halfway a whine, she sat up then pulled herself out of the tub, pulling the stopper out of the drain on the way. She grabbed the towel and took her time drying her pale, freckled flesh. Once dressed, she quietly padded towards the kitchen, thinking about what to make for dinner, when she noticed the smell of food already made.

 

    She walked into the dining room/kitchen to find Loki at the table halfway through a plate of pasta carbonara; looking to the kitchen counter, she saw a plate already prepared for her. She looked back at Loki curiously then went to pick up her plate before sitting down across from him and beginning to eat. When Loki finished eating he got up, washed his plate, and then went back to his room without a word, leaving Charlotte to wonder about his sudden helpfulness.

 

    He wasn’t a particularly _bad_ guest, really, just not a very tidy one. From the start, he’d seemed to take it for granted that she should see to his needs when she was home, but she realised it wasn’t out of any sort of malice or entitlement; he just expected to be taken care of, likely because he had been before at some point. And she truly hadn’t minded so much while he was injured. She’d seen his wounds, and she couldn’t imagine wanting to get out of bed with _half_ of them. After he had recovered, though, she began to suspect that he simply liked being looked after, which would have been somewhat acceptable if he didn’t leave such disorders behind.

 

    Finished with her food, Charlotte left her plate in the sink, deciding she was too tired to clean it right now, and made her way to her room. She stopped by his room and knocked softly before opening the door just enough to poke her head in. He was sitting on the bed pulling on a grey shirt and looked over at her. “I’m going to bed,” She called in, “Good night.”

 

    Loki nodded and she began to back out of the room. “Charlotte,” He called suddenly, causing her to poke her head back in, “... Good night.”

 

    Charlotte smiled slightly then left, making her way to her room. As she changed into her pyjamas, she smiled to herself. He really wasn’t that bad for a war criminal. He could even be charming when he wanted to be. She realised she’d probably miss him whenever he decided to leave. She wouldn’t miss cleaning up after him, though, she thought after climbing into bed.


	3. Chapter 3

    Loki woke up early the next morning. He got up and left his room, making his way down the hall to Charlotte’s and opening the door just enough to peek inside. Satisfied that she was still asleep, he closed the door and went out into the small backyard, crossing over to a small white rosebush at the far end of it. He knelt down before it and carefully reached beneath the branches, mindful of the thorns, and pulled out a small deep green drawstring bag. He got up and looked around once to be sure he hadn’t been seen then walked back into the house.

 

    When he walked back inside, Charlotte was walking down the hall headed to the kitchen, still in her pyjamas, and he froze momentarily. “Morning,” She mumbled sleepily through a yawn, brushing her sleep-mussed hair out of her face. “What’s that?” She asked, noticing the bag in his hand.

 

    Loki blinked, recovering himself, and walked over to her. “It’s for you,” He said, holding out the bag to her.

 

    She took it then opened it and reached inside, feeling something solid and glass-like under her fingers. She pulled the object out to find it was a piece of what appeared to be crystal; it was about the size of her palm, with all sorts of colours swirling inside it and seemed to hum with energy, like it was alive. “Pretty,” She commented before looking up at him, “What is it?”

 

    “It’s a piece of what was used to create the Bifrost,” Loki replied, “One of several, actually; I’ve had them for centuries.”

 

    “And you’re giving it to me, why?” Charlotte asked, arching an eyebrow questioningly.

 

    “Because there’s a very good chance one day you’ll need to be somewhere far, fast,” Loki replied, “There’s enough energy in there for it to work once, _maybe_ twice; so I suggest you save it for an emergency.”

 

    “Okay, that answers why, but not _why,”_ Charlotte insisted.

 

    “You’ve been helpful,” Loki replied with a slight one-shouldered shrug, “Think of it as my way of repaying you.”

 

    Charlotte stared at him for a moment longer then placed the shard back into the bag and closed it. “Okay, then,” She said simply, “Breakfast?”

 

****

 

    The week passed peacefully, well, as peaceful as it can be when one is housing the God of Mischief, and Charlotte had all but forgotten about the shard she kept in a pocket at all times. She mostly did that because Loki had snapped at her when she left it on the table one morning, being in a rush to get to work on time. She’d wondered why it meant so much to him, but he certainly wasn’t talking.

 

    Well, he _was_ , but only to say that such a rare and valuable thing shouldn’t be treated so carelessly, which seemed like a half-truth at best. Still, she chose not to press the issue, if only because an irritated Loki was no fun for anyone.

 

    She was walking home after her shift, having successfully dodged _more_ overtime (she didn’t quite need the money _that_ badly), when she heard a car screech slightly to a halt beside her. The passenger’s side window rolled down as she looked over and she felt as though she’d been doused in ice water, her heart leaping to her throat the moment she saw the driver.

 

    “Charlotte,” The man behind the wheel said, as though speaking to an old friend, “You are a tough woman to find.”

 

    Her reaction was immediate. She ran.

 

    She just ran before another word could be said, through streets and alleys all the way home, not bothering to check if she was being followed. She hadn’t heard the car move and that was enough. By the time her front door slammed shut behind her she was panting heavily, her lungs burning, but she didn’t take the time to catch her breath before she was moving again, heading straight to her room and getting a large backpack.

 

    She was pulling open drawers and flinging clothes into the bag when Loki walked in, curious as to what the commotion was. “Charlotte?” He called from the doorway, and she started violently before turning to look at him, grey eyes wide with fear, “What’s wrong? What’s happened?”

 

    “I need to get out of here,” She said hurriedly, continuing to fill the bag with clothes, “I can’t be here.”

 

    “Why?” Loki asked, stepping into the room and blocking her path, “What happened?”

 

    “Move!” Charlotte snapped, moving to duck around him. He wrapped an arm around her middle and held her back, causing her to yelp and begin to struggle. “Let go!” She demanded, though it sounded more like a plea.

 

    “Not until you tell me what is going on,” Loki replied firmly, worried now. He’d never seen her that scared. It wasn’t right.

 

    After a moment, Charlotte stilled and slumped slightly against him. “He found me...” She replied in a shaky whisper.

 

    Loki let her go then grabbed her arm and pulled her gently to her bed, sitting her down on it before sitting next to her facing her. “Who found you?” He asked softly.

 

    Charlotte closed her eyes and took a deep slow breath. “My ex,” She replied at last, eyes on her lap, “She... Well, she wasn’t a very nice person. Of course, I didn’t know that until _after_ she drove everyone close to me away and made sure I had nowhere to turn.”

 

    “That’s usually how such people work,” Loki commented, “You said ‘he’, though...”

 

    “Her brother,” Charlotte explained, “He’s a cop. When I finally worked up the nerve to try to get away from my ex, he helped to make sure everyone thought I was just an ungrateful lunatic.”

 

    “I see,” Loki said neutrally with a slight frown, “Did he follow you here?”

 

    “I don’t know,” Charlotte replied, “Doesn’t matter; he knows I’m here, which means Lisa won’t be far behind. I need to get out of the state.”

 

    She moved to get up but Loki grabbed hold of her arm and stopped her. “You will uproot the life you have made for yourself here over this?” He asked.

 

    “Loki, you don’t get it!” Charlotte snapped, yanking her arm out of his grasp, “Do you have any idea what it’s like to spend every day of your life afraid of someone you loved, wondering if today will be the day they’ll get angry enough to actually _kill_ you? To feel worthless, like you’ve done something wrong, something to _deserve_ everything they throw at you? To try _so hard_ to be _better,_ even when you know deep down it’ll never be enough?”

 

    Loki stood up and looked down at her impassively. “Yes, actually; I do,” He replied tonelessly, “What’s more; I lived with him for most of my life.” Charlotte blinked, stunned, and Loki sighed softly. “I think, Little Lotte, it’s time I tell you a story,” He said, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear, “But first, I suppose we should pack.”

 

    “You don’t have to come with me,” Charlotte said as he walked to the door.

 

    He glanced over his shoulder at her with a slight smile. “I know,” Was all he said before walking out of the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 'Little Lotte' comes from a poem by Andreas Munch titled 'A Child's First Sorrow'; it's referenced in 'The Phantom of the Opera', in case it sounds otherwise familiar.


	4. Chapter 4

    They were on a bus in less than an hour, though Charlotte hadn’t paid much attention to where it was headed. ‘Away’ was good enough for her. Besides her Loki had used a bit of seidr to change his appearance, though to her he still looked the same, which he said was for her benefit. She was oddly touched by this, but brushed it off as him not wanting to risk her freaking out again; it’s not like he would know - _care_ \- that his presence was actually comforting to her, after all.

 

    Hours later they were sitting in a one bed room of a fully booked motel halfway between nowhere and anywhere else, Charlotte sitting up against the headboard, her legs pulled up to her chest, arms closed around them with her chin resting on her knees, while Loki was lying on his back across the bed as he told her of his life.

 

    “I spent most of my life trying to please the man I called father, trying to claw my way out of my brother’s shadow, to prove I was just as worthy, to be looked upon with as much pride as he so easily received,” He said, his voice sounding somewhat detached, eyes on the ceiling, “I think I knew, even then, that it would never be enough. _I_ would never be enough. I still tried, though,” he took a deep breath and let it out slowly, “I would have torn realms apart just to get him to love me.”

 

    “And now?” Charlotte asked.

 

    “Now...” Loki began and heaved a sigh, “I have no idea. I don’t know how I feel anymore.”

 

    Charlotte hummed slightly. There was silence for a while and then she unwrapped her arms and curled up next to Loki, her chin some inches away from his shoulder; he could feel her breath on the skin of his neck as she exhaled. “I was sixteen when I met Lisa,” She began after a moment, “I was weird and impulsive and I felt like she was the only person who _understood_ me. My parents, of course, hated my new ‘friend’. They never could bring themselves to admit that she was anything more. They tried to keep me away from her, but that only made me want to be with her more.”

 

    “That sounds incredibly familiar,” Loki commented with a slight huff of a laugh.

 

    “I’ll bet,” Charlotte laughed, nudging his shoulder. “In the end, all they succeeded in doing was making me shut them out,” She continued, “Lisa asked me to run away with her and I did; it was a spur of the moment, incredibly stupid thing to do, but I did it anyway. It was great at first; I was so convinced we were in love, that nothing would come between us. I didn’t realise anything was wrong until it was too late...”

 

    Loki turned to her when she fell silent and tilted her chin up so their gazes met. “It wasn’t your fault, any of it,” He said, “Love can blind us to even the most glaring of flaws.”

 

    “Good reason to avoid it?” Charlotte asked with a hint of a smile.

 

    “From a practical standpoint, perhaps,” Loki replied, returning the smile, “But when is the heart ever practical?”

 

    “Why did you come with me?” Charlotte asked softly, almost as though she didn’t want him to hear her.

 

    “Because I’m an idiot,” Loki replied plainly.

 

    Charlotte snorted a laugh. “Well, _that’s_ reassuring,” She said then sat up and looked down at him, “I’m serious; why did you come?”

 

    Loki stared up at her long enough to make her wonder if she should have bothered asking at all then sat up. He looked down for a moment then back up at her, leaned forward, and placed a light kiss on one corner of her mouth. “Sentiment,” He said in a half whisper as he sat back.

 

    Charlotte raised a hand and brushed her fingertips over the spot lightly. “Not gonna lie,” She said and leaned towards him to brush her lips over his lightly, “I was kinda hoping that was it.”

 

    “Good,” Loki replied then pressed his lips against hers a bit more firmly.

 

****

 

    Charlotte awoke to a firm shake of her shoulder; she blinked rapidly a few times, startled out of her dreams, and looked around her to Loki’s serious expression. “What gives,” She asked groggily, her sleepy mind annoyed at his abruptness.

 

    “We need to move,” Loki replied lowly, moving off the bed and grabbing their bags.

 

    “What? Why?” Charlotte asked as she got up, immediately on edge, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes before grabbing her jacket and putting it on.

 

    Loki didn’t reply, simply opened the door, grabbed her wrist the moment she was close enough and pulled her along. They were almost to the next bus stop when there was a sudden bright flash somewhere to their right, and the next thing Charlotte knew Loki had pulled her into a run, leading her off the road and into the woods to their left. She didn’t really know why they were running, but she wasn’t about to question it; she’d known all this time that Loki was hiding from someone, so it wasn’t hard to guess he’d just been found.

 

    A while in, Loki turned and shoved Charlotte into a crevice formed by two large trees, dropping his bag on her lap. “Stay here until I return,” He ordered, silencing the beginnings of her protest with a quick kiss, and then he was gone back the way they came.

 

****

 

    It didn’t take that long for Loki to backtrack his steps now that he was alone, and he stopped short once he reached the road and came face-to-face with the two Einherjar sent to retrieve him. “Only two?” He asked in mock-surprise, “I’m insulted.”

 

    The warriors glanced at each other briefly before adjusting their grip on their spears and beginning to advance upon Loki. He looked at each of them pointedly then grinned slightly; before their eyes he seemed to vanish, and they looked around in alarm, knowing that who they were dealing with meant they couldn’t really trust their senses so easily. The Einherjar turned their backs on each other to better defend themselves, but not quick enough, as Loki slipped past one of their spears to pull the warrior’s sword out of its scabbard and run him through with it before the other one could turn around.

 

    “This really will be so much easier if you just leave,” Loki told the man before him, casually stabbing his fallen partner’s throat as he stepped past him. The warrior glared at him and shifted his stance in preparation. “No?” Loki said then shrugged, “Suit yourself.”

 

****

 

    Charlotte jumped when she heard a noise nearby and risked peeking out of her hiding place just as a blood-soaked Loki came into view. Her hand flew to her mouth to stifle a gasp and she all but ran to him, looking at him in shocked horror.

 

    Loki looked down at himself then back at her. “It’s not mine,” He said simply.

 

    A relieved sigh made its way past Charlotte’s lips, her posture sagging a bit, and then she blinked and furrowed her brow. “That _really_ shouldn’t reassure me so much,” She said, surprised at herself.

 

    “Clearly, you’ve been around me too long,” Loki joked, and she couldn’t help but to laugh.


	5. Chapter 5

    Another motel room in the middle of nowhere, though this one at least had two beds. Loki took up a lot more space than he really needed; she wasn’t sure he was aware of the fact. After a quick shower, Charlotte sat cross-legged on her bed staring at the colours swirling in the shard he’d given her; she had completely forgotten she had it, finding the bag in her pocket as she undressed in the bathroom. She was actually glad, though; if she had used it to get away from Lisa’s brother, it would’ve been a waste, seeing how she managed it on her own easily enough.

 

    “What are you thinking of?” Loki asked curiously as he stepped out of the bathroom, his hair still damp from his shower.

 

    Charlotte looked over at him with a smile. “Everything and nothing,” She replied teasingly, remembering the nickname he’d given her before they left her house. Loki breathed an almost sheepish laugh; he hadn’t really been thinking when he called her that, wasn’t even sure she’d noticed. “It’s funny,” She began somewhat wryly, “We both got found at about the same time.”

 

    “I’m surprised I wasn’t found sooner, really,” Loki replied, walking over to sit on the edge of his bed, “I stayed too long in one place. I should’ve kept moving as soon as I had healed.”

 

    Charlotte frowned a bit. “Yeah; should’ve,” She said absently, laying back and staring up at the ceiling.

 

    “Mistakes were made, but I can’t say it was a particularly bad one,” Loki continued, mirroring her, his hands folded on his stomach, “I probably would have gone back if I’d left before, to be perfectly honest.”

 

    “Sentiment,” Charlotte teased, looking over at him. He chuckled and met her gaze. “What happens now?” She asked, “Did you have a plan on where to go, or are you just making it up as you go along?”

 

    “Yes,” Loki replied simply then grinned, “But I do it brilliantly.”

 

    Charlotte laughed, the sound carrying across the room like music to Loki’s ears. “I knew leaving you alone with Netflix was a bad idea,” She managed after a moment.

 

    Loki laughed unashamedly then sat up to move further up the bed. “We should sleep now,” He said, settling in, “The sooner we leave tomorrow, the better.”

 

    Charlotte hummed then moved up the bed and turned the lamp off before settling under the covers, whispering a quick ‘good-night’ that was quietly returned. It was a while before either of them could fall asleep, with the thoughts that ran through their minds. Charlotte’s were mostly still concerned with getting away, as well as coming to terms with the fact that her feelings for Loki weren’t one-sided after all.

 

    When she finally drifted off, Loki turned onto his side and looked at her, watching the rise and fall of her chest with her breathing and the way her hair fell across her face, causing her nose to twitch a bit when it tickled. He hadn’t really expected her, and he was glad they met, but her presence made things more complicated. Now it wasn’t just himself he had to worry about. He would try to keep her safe, that much was a given; it didn’t really change how he felt about the fact that it was even necessary. With a sigh he turned his back to her and let himself fall asleep.

 

****

 

    They were boarding a plane by the end of the week; Charlotte wasn’t sure how she let herself be convinced to leave the country, but she had a feeling Loki’s wandering hands had something to do with it.

 

    Who knew the God of Mischief was so good at shoulder rubs?

 

    It had been mostly impulse to track down Jane Foster and/or people connected to her. Loki figured that even if she couldn’t/wouldn’t help, she could at least get Thor and while he wasn’t sure his brother would be too happy to see him, they did technically owe him what with him almost _dying_ for them and all. Charlotte did wish she’d known Loki sooner, though; getting fake credentials was a breeze with him around.

 

    The flight was long and boring and Loki spent most of it playing tricks on the other passengers for their amusement. She was pretty sure a few of them were convinced the plane was haunted or something. She had to slap away his hands a few times, but quickly realised he was doing it just to get a reaction and began to ignore it until he gave up.

 

    When they arrived in Norway, Charlotte convinced Loki to sleep the jetlag off in a hotel before acquiring a car, knowing they wouldn’t get very far as they were. They drove straight through to the village Dr. Foster was supposed to be, stopping only for food and sleep along the way. It took them a few days, but they finally made it and were directed to a small house at the edge of the village that the astrophysicist was renting.

 

    A buxom young woman with long brown hair and blue eyes answered the door and promptly introduced herself as Darcy Lewis, ‘Jane’s assistant/intern/bff’. Loki simply said that he was an old acquaintance of Thor’s and she let them in and offered them coffee.

 

    “Sooo...” Darcy began as she handed them their cups, “How do you know Thor?”

 

    “We grew up together,” Loki replied vaguely, “Dr. Foster is not here, is she?”

 

    “Nope,” Darcy replied, popping the ‘p’, “What do you mean ‘grew up together’; like, childhood buddies, or something?”

 

    “You could say that...” Loki murmured.

 

    Darcy hummed slightly then looked between them. “Are you guys, like, dating?” She asked suddenly, “’Cause, fair warning, I’m gonna start flirting soon if the answer is ‘no’.”

 

    Charlotte choked slightly on her drink, spluttering a bit as Loki patted her back. “Umm...” She managed after a moment.

 

    “What the _hell_ are _you_ doing here?” They heard the voice of Jane Foster exclaim as she walked into the house, staring at Loki in shock.

 

    “And such a pleasure it is to see you again as well,” Loki retorted sarcastically, causing Darcy to let out a loud snort as she tried to suppress a laugh.

 

    “You’re supposed to be dead!” Jane said, pointing a finger at Loki accusingly.

 

    “Then you can imagine my surprise at waking up,” Loki replied simply.

 

    “How?” Jane asked, “You were... You were stabbed through the heart.”

 

    “A little bit further down, actually,” Loki corrected casually.

 

    “Are you serious right now?” Charlotte asked incredulously.

 

    “Well, it’s hardly the first time I’ve been stabbed,” Loki defended, “One does get used to it after a while.”

 

    “You are not right in the head...” Charlotte said, shaking her head a bit.

 

    “I’m sorry; who are you?” Jane asked, seeming to have not noticed Charlotte’s presence until she spoke.

 

    “His girlfriend, judging by her reaction when I asked,” Darcy teased with a grin.

 

    “... Right,” Jane said then looked directly at Loki, “What exactly do you want?”

 

    “I want you to help me get off this realm,” Loki replied seriously, “Or failing that; I need you to contact my brother.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, Loki's a whovian. Fight me.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is what happens when I bring my laptop to work. I've been sitting on this chapter for two days waiting to proof read and post it and it was driving me mad.

    Jane stared at Loki for a long while then frowned. “You’re serious. You’re... actually serious,” She said at length, “You really expect me to _help you?_ After what you did?”

 

    “You mean the part where I _saved your life?”_ Loki asked pointedly, “Yes; I suppose I do.”

 

    “You only did that because Thor dragged you out there,” Jane argued.

 

    “If that were the only reason, Miss Foster, I certainly wouldn’t have risked dying on your behalf,” Loki replied coolly, “I could have said I was too busy fighting the dark elves, and Thor would have believed it because that was exactly what _he_ was doing.”

 

    Jane opened her mouth then closed it and looked away briefly. “How am I supposed to help you get off world? My research is nowhere near accomplishing that,” She asked, crossing her arms at her chest.

 

    “You didn’t have a piece of the Bifrost to study before,” Loki replied with a smirk. He reached into a pocket of his jacket and pulled out a shard of the strange colourful crystal, smaller than the one he had given Charlotte, then held it out to Jane. “I’m sure this would be significantly more useful than the readings you’ve been chasing,” He added.

 

    “And you just happen to have that with you?” Darcy asked sceptically as Jane gaped slightly.

 

    “It’s colourful; I was a curious child,” Loki replied nonchalantly with a shrug.

 

    “You picked that up because it was colourful,” Darcy deadpanned, “You are officially my new best friend.”

 

    “Darcy, _no,”_ Jane scolded tiredly, earning a huff from the other woman. She walked over to Loki and hesitantly took the shard from him, turning it over in her hand as she examined it. “Where _did_ you find this anyway?” She asked, looking up at him, “Wasn’t the Bridge already around when you were born?”

 

    “You recall how we got to Svartalfheim in the first place, don’t you?” Loki asked back, “The Bridge was crafted out of _something_ , after all; I simply found a few, ah... _deposits..._ of the original material, and picked up a few shards.”

 

    “‘A few’? So you have more?” Jane asked.

 

    “Of course,” Loki replied, “Even before I really understood what they could do, I knew they were of some value; such things are useful to have a few of.”

 

    “So you just hoarded them?” Darcy said amusedly, “Man, you must have been fun to raise.”

 

    The resulting grin that spread on Loki’s face promised nothing less than absolute trouble, and Jane decided it would be prudent to change the subject. She shooed them into the living room and took the shard into the small lab she had set up, diving into her work enthusiastically. Loki was right; having a piece of the material the Bifrost was made of was beyond useful. She was sure she wouldn’t have a working, stable portal any time soon, but she was confident she could figure something temporary out that would give Loki what he wanted.

 

    She did stop for a moment to question her sanity at the realisation that she was actually going to help Loki of all people, but she figured if had bothered to actually _ask_ for her help, whatever he wanted a portal for couldn’t be _that_ bad. Or at least, that’s what she hoped. She wasn’t sure how she was going to explain this to Thor otherwise.

 

    “I’m not going to try and conquer the universe,” Loki spoke up behind her suddenly and she started with a slight yelp, “If that’s what you’re thinking.”

 

    “It... wasn’t...” Jane replied hesitantly. Loki raised an eyebrow and she sighed. “Exactly...” She admitted a bit sheepishly, “Can you blame me, though; you did try to take over the world.”

 

    “I also helped Thor keep the realms safe for centuries; not that anyone ever remembers _that,”_ Loki retorted somewhat bitterly, causing Jane to flinch slightly and he sighed, “I’m not looking to cause any more trouble that can be expected out of one known for being a trickster, I give you my word. All I want is the freedom denied me because I was stupid enough to think I could ever be any good in Odin’s eye.”

 

    Jane frowned slightly, feeling a strange bit of sympathy for him. It was hard not to; she’d _met_ Odin, after all. “Where will you go?” She asked, “He’ll probably be looking for you everywhere.”

 

    “There are places within Yggdrasil where even the Allfather has no authority,” Loki replied vaguely. He removed his jacket and tossed it onto a chair where Jane had left her own then walked over to her. “Now, then; shall we get to work?” He asked with a crooked smile.

 

****

 

    In the living room, Darcy and Charlotte had graduated from coffee to beer as the hours passed and they sat more or less sprawled on the couch chatting. Charlotte found herself liking the brunette; she was weird and funny and just _easy_ to be around. She didn’t know what political science had to do with astrophysics, but Darcy just shrugged and said that working with Jane was fun.

 

    “So...” Darcy began after a long swig of her beer, “How’d you and Loki meet?”

 

    “I... ran into him one night; he was hurt and needed a place to stay, so...” Charlotte replied, carefully skirting around the part where she’d just killed a man. She still couldn’t bring herself to be sorry about that, which probably said some terrible things about her, but there it was. “After a while, he kind of just... stuck around,” She added with a shrug.

 

    “Yeah, asgardian princes seem to have a knack for that,” Darcy giggled, “At least you didn’t hit him with your car, though.”

 

    “What??” Charlotte asked in disbelief.

 

    “Yup!” Darcy replied cheerfully, “Jane hit him with her car, and then I tazed him ’cause he was freaking me out.”

 

    Charlotte choked on her beer. “You... you tazed the guy who wields a hammer that shoots lighting?” She asked and Darcy nodded with a grin, “I think I love you.”

 

    “And where does that leave me?” Loki asked amusedly as he walked into the room, Jane coming up behind him.

 

    “Hey; the more, the merrier,” Darcy chimed, causing Jane to bury her face in her palm as Loki and Charlotte laughed.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would like to apologise in advanced for this chapter, except I'm evil and not actually sorry...

    Charlotte started awake when she felt something falling over her, only to find she’d dozed off on the couch and Darcy was covering her with a blanket.

 

    “Sorry; didn’t mean to wake you,” The brunette apologised quietly.

 

    “S’okay,” Charlotte mumbled, sitting up slightly and looking around, “Where’s...?”

 

    “In the lab with Jane,” Darcy replied, “You should see them; I don’t think they’ve even noticed it’s been hours. They’ll probably work all night if I don’t go kick them out.”

 

    Charlotte chuckled. “Should I be jealous?” She asked jokingly.

 

    “Maybe,” Darcy laughed, “I swear, it’s like they’re reading each other’s minds. It’s kinda creepy.” She held out a pillow, which Charlotte took gratefully. “You should get some sleep; I’ll let them have fun for another hour,” She added before walking away down the hall leading to her and Jane’s rooms.

 

    Charlotte tucked the pillow under her head then settled in, falling back asleep almost immediately. She was roused into half awareness again by movement sometime later, but was too tired to fully register that Loki had joined her on the couch until she felt him kiss her forehead and mumble something she didn’t understand, and then she drifted off again.

 

****

 

    When Charlotte awoke the next morning to the smell of coffee she was alone again. She sat up, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, and stretched her arms over her head with a yawn before getting up and walking into the small kitchen. Darcy greeted her with an overly cheerful ‘good morning’ only achievable after several doses of caffeine and handed her a cup.

 

    “I take it they’re back at it already?” Charlotte asked as she added sugar and cream to her cup then stirred it.

 

    “Yeah,” Darcy replied, making a face, “No idea how they got into the lab; I always lock it until after breakfast. Guessing your boyfriend had something to do with that.”

 

    Charlotte snorted lightly into her cup. “Probably,” She agreed with a slight roll of her eyes.

 

    “Meh; at least they ate,” Darcy said with a resigned shrug, “That’s more than is usually accomplished.”

 

    “Workaholic, huh?” Charlotte asked with a sympathetic smile.

 

    “Understatement!” Darcy replied in a sing-song voice and Charlotte laughed.

 

    After finishing a second cup of coffee with breakfast Charlotte walked into Jane’s lab, or at least as far as she could with all the equipment lying around, and perched herself in a corner to watch her and Loki work. It didn’t take long to see what Darcy meant; hardly a word was said between the two, but they seemed to know exactly what to do next, which readings were relevant, which tool to use. It occurred to Charlotte that this must be refreshing for them both, to be around someone who actually knew what they were doing.

 

    After an hour or two Jane suddenly let out an excited exclamation, snapping Charlotte and Darcy, who had joined her a while ago, out of their dazes as Loki went over to the scientist. “I think I’ve got something,” Jane said enthusiastically, “I mean, probably nothing anywhere _near_ a permanent solution, but it could work for a few minutes maybe. No idea about safe, but it could work.”

 

    “‘Safe’ is a luxury I’m not sure I can afford, doctor,” Loki replied, “As long as it gets me where I need to be...”

 

    “‘Us’, you mean,” Charlotte spoke up, calling to their attention than she and Darcy were even in the room.

 

    “What?” Loki asked confusedly.

 

    “‘Us’,” Charlotte repeated, “‘Take _us_ where _we_ need to be’. I’m coming with you. Or were you planning to leave me behind?” Loki looked away somewhat guiltily and Charlotte blinked in realisation. “You were, weren’t you?” She asked, a mixture of hurt and disbelief on her face.

 

    “Charlotte; you’re not even close to safe with me,” Loki reasoned, looking back at her, “I have half the universe for an enemy. And here, you are far, far away from anyone looking to harm you.”

 

    “Oh, bullshit; this isn’t about safe!” Charlotte snapped, getting off the table she’d been sitting on and walking over to him, “If it were, you wouldn’t have come with me in the first place. This is about you. What exactly are you afraid of?”

 

    Loki narrowed his eyes at her. “You’re right; it is about me,” He replied coolly, “I’d simply rather not have a helpless little girl slowing me down.”

 

    Before anyone could react, Charlotte’s open palm flew up and connected harshly with Loki’s cheek. “You’re the God of Lies,” She spat as he looked back at her in shock, “You can do better than that.”

 

    Loki glared at her for a moment then sighed and looked away, rubbing a hand over his eyes as he leaned back against the edge of a desk. “I don’t want to see you change your mind,” He said softly after a while.

 

    “About what?” Charlotte asked, sitting next to him.

 

    Loki opened his mouth to reply then seemed to remember Darcy and Jane and looked between them. “Right, uh; we’ll just... yeah...” Jane said rather awkwardly, walking over to Darcy and grabbing her arm, beginning to pull her out of the room with her.

 

    When they were gone Loki looked back at Charlotte’s expectant expression. “This is hardly the first time I’ve cared for someone, Lotte,” He finally said, earning a slight smile at the nickname, “It has never ended well; whether because they lost interest, or because they never truly had it... In the end, they all left. I don’t want to see that happen with you.”

 

    Charlotte was quiet for a while then reached over and took his hand in her own. “Are you planning to use me as your personal punching bag; literally or metaphorically speaking?” She asked.

 

    “No, of course not!” Loki replied indignantly.

 

    “Then I’m not going anywhere,” Charlotte replied simply then stood and moved to wrap her arms around his waist, placing her chin on his chest and looking up at him, “It doesn’t have to be safe where we are, Loki; it just has to have you in it.”

 

    Loki smiled at that, wrapping his arms around her shoulders and leaning down to kiss her forehead before resting his own against it. After a moment he huffed a laugh. “I may very well have to surrender my title of Silvertongue,” He said to her questioning gaze, “I don’t think I could have come up with something quite so poetic.” Charlotte giggled a bit then tightened her hold on him. He leaned down and kissed her lips softly. “I can’t guarantee you won’t get hurt, being with me,” He said softly, “Even killed.”

 

    “I know what I’m getting into; I know there are risks,” Charlotte replied, leaning up to kiss him, “I’m still going.”

 

    Loki nodded then kissed her again and stood up straight. He and Jane gathered what they would need before they all headed out to the backyard, where they would have more space. The portal was ready to be opened, all that was left was for Loki to concentrate on steering it to where he wanted to go, when the familiar flash of light of the Bifrost touched down a few feet away from them, revealing no less than ten Einherjar.

 

    It was as though time had slowed down. Loki opened the portal, not much caring where it has currently directed to, then grabbed Charlotte’s hand and pulled her along with him to jump into it. One of the soldiers aimed and fired an energy weapon at them and Loki felt how Charlotte pushed him aside in the split second before they went through the portal.

 

    They landed on snow covered terrain, Loki on his knees and Charlotte on her back a little away from him, coughing up blood and clutching her abdomen where she’d been struck. Loki was at her side in an instant, pressing his hands on the wound. “Charlotte! Lotte, no; no, don’t you dare,” He said desperately, “No, I can fix this. I can fix this. Don’t leave me.”

 

    Around them he sensed movement but didn’t look up, even after they were completely surrounded. Charlotte looked up at him as well as she could through the haze of pain and the creeping unconsciousness. “I’m s-... sorry,” She managed barely above a whisper.

 

    “No, no; s-stay with me, Lotte,” Loki replied, _“Please.”_

 

    The last thing that Charlotte heard before everything faded to black was Loki’s anguished voice screaming her name.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This may be the last chapter I'm posting for this story. I was pretty excited to share, but response to it has been, well, _lacking._ It's not the only one of my stories that suffers from such and I'd be lying if I said it wasn't discouraging. Feedback is pretty much the only reason I share my writing, otherwise I would keep it to myself for my own personal enjoyment. I don't mean to whine, and I certainly don't want any undue praise, but it would be nice to be told when someone actually likes my work.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the personal drama with the last chapter. It's been a rocky week and I let it get the better of me. I sometimes get it in my head that people don't care about these things I do, and when nobody tells me otherwise... Well.
> 
> Depression sucks, kiddies. That is all.

    It was cold.

 

    The first realisation to reach Charlotte’s mind was the cold, all around her, seeping straight down into her very bones. But the most intense sensation was coming from her stomach. She tried to open her eyes but they would not obey her. She felt a few of her fingers twitch. She couldn’t manage anything more.

 

    _I was shot._

 

    She remembered it now; they had been found again, shot at, and she had pushed Loki out of the way, taking the shot herself. She remembered. It hurt like hell. Loki was calling her name, begging her to stay with him, and then it all went dark.

 

    _Am I dead?_

 

    The question was faint. It made sense; she couldn’t move, and she wasn’t in pain anymore. But why the cold? She’d never pretend to know what the afterlife was meant to be like, but she would’ve expected something... else. Comfortable, maybe. She was on something solid, but it didn’t feel like a bed. It was too hard. Reminded her of an examination table. That thought was not very comforting.

 

    _I don’t want to be here._

 

    The moment that thought entered her mind she began trying to move in earnest. She didn’t feel safe. She wanted to be anywhere else. Her limbs finally started to respond to her and she succeeded in moving her arms a bit.

 

    “She is waking!” She heard a female voice say from seemingly very far away then a slight flurry of movement.

 

    She hadn’t noticed she was breathing until she found it hard to do so, beginning to hyperventilate as she struggled to make her eyes _open._ A cold weight settled on her shoulders and her eyes flew open at last to meet with a pair of deep crimson orbs on a blue face with a series of lines running over it. Her hands flew up as she let out a startled yell and pushed back at the first solid surface they encountered.

 

    “Charlotte, stop!” The voice coming from those lips was entirely too familiar, enough to make her pause.

 

    She blinked once, twice, and willed her breathing to slow down and take in the sight before her more clearly. “L-... Loki?” She finally managed in a trembling whisper, her voice hoarse from disuse.

 

    Loki managed a strained smile as her let her go. “The one and only,” He replied, attempting to mask his nervousness with humour.

 

    “What...” Charlotte began then coughed slightly. Loki reached for something above her head and cradled her head with his other hand, lifting it up a bit before bringing a glass to her lips. She drank a bit of the water it contained then cleared her throat. “What happened?” She finally asked.

 

    “You nearly broke your promise, that’s what,” Loki replied, sounding none too pleased, “When I said I wasn’t sure if I could keep you safe, I didn’t mean you were free to take a shot meant for me.”

 

    “Wouldn’t _you_ have?” Charlotte countered.

 

    “Of course I would have, but _I_ would have a better chance of actually _surviving it!”_ He snapped before closing his eyes and taking a deep breath.

 

    “I’m sorry for scaring you,” Charlotte said softly, causing him to open his eyes, “I didn’t really think about that; I just... I couldn’t see you hurt. Not again.”

 

    Loki brushed his knuckles over her cheek. “It’s alright, Lotte, just... do try not to do it again,” He replied, “I can’t keep losing people.”

 

    “I’ll do my best, but no promises,” Charlotte said, wrapping her fingers around his wrist, “Now, if you don’t mind me asking: Where are we, and why are you blue?”

 

    Loki opened his mouth then closed it, thinking for a moment before deciding; he slipped one arm around her shoulders and the other under her knees and picked her up. He carried her over to a window of sorts so she could see the snow and ice that surrounded the place they were in, a dark sky overhead. “Charlotte; welcome to my birthrealm, Jötunheim,” He murmured into her ear, “Realm of the frost giants.”

 

****

 

    “So, how am I still alive?” Charlotte asked as they sat in the large open-air room surrounded by broken pillars that was once the throne room, wrapped in several layers of blankets with a small fire before her that Loki had conjured, the air around them shimmering slightly green as the wind deflected off the barrier he had placed.

 

    “A complicated and very draining bit of magick,” Loki replied, “Damn near killed me.”

 

    “I’m not going to apologise again,” Charlotte deadpanned, earning a huff.

 

    “A group of hunters found us and shockingly enough decided _not_ to outright kill us,” He continued, “One of them even went so far as to give us shelter in his home, which is where you woke up.”

 

    “That was nice of him,” Charlotte commented.

 

    “Well, he recently lost his wife, so I imagine pity might have played a part,” Loki replied, “We weren’t certain you would survive, much less wake up.”

 

    “Do they know?” Charlotte asked, looking over at him, “Who you are?”

 

    “It wasn’t difficult to guess, once a few of the older jötnar saw me like this,” Loki replied, gesturing to his glamourless state, “They seem to think it’s for the best; that I’ve come home to take my throne.”

 

    “And will you?”

 

    “No, of course not. Why would I?”

 

    “What are we going to do, then?”

 

    Loki looked up at the grey skies for a while. “I have no idea,” He admitted at length, “I’m not sure how we would leave this realm without a portal. There are several ways in and out of the realms, but the only one I knew of here was likely closed off after I fell off the Bifrost years ago.”

 

    Charlotte hummed slightly then followed his gaze to the sky. The silence that stretched between them was comfortable, each wrapped in their own thoughts, until she came to a conclusion and looked back down at him. “We should stay here,” She said.

 

    Loki’s eyes snapped to hers at that. _“What??”_ He asked incredulously.

 

    “This is where you were born,” Charlotte replied, “The throne is yours, and I think you’d make a good king.”

 

    “My birth father left me to die...” Loki said slowly, forcing his voice to remain level.

 

    “But you lived,” Charlotte countered, “And it’s his loss; he missed out on seeing all you could become. Think about it; you could save these people, this entire world. And wouldn’t that be something.”

 

    “This realm is falling apart, Lotte,” Loki sighed.

 

    “But it can be fixed, can’t it?” Charlotte insisted.

 

    “... Perhaps...” Loki said at length, realising she was not going to let this go, “If I had the Casket of Ancient Winters. But it’s locked away in the deepest vault of Asgard.”

 

    “Well, then; I guess we’ll have to go get it,” Charlotte replied simply.

 

    Loki stared at her in disbelief for a moment. “You’re mad, do you know that?” He asked.

 

    “Mad enough to love _you,”_ Charlotte replied with a shrug.

 

    Loki looked away, frowning when he realised what his answer was going to be. “... Damn,” He muttered then looked back at her, and she grinned widely, knowing she’d won.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter brought to you by Nox Arcana's very extensive discography, which has become my new favourite thing.

    Preparations for the infiltration of Asgard took several days, which Charlotte spent mostly in the room set up for her deep in what remained of the once-great palace. Loki knew a few enchantments to keep the cold of the realm from killing her, but he still preferred her to stay inside. It was surprisingly easy to get the frost giants on their side, whether out of loyalty to Laufey’s only surviving heir (which was when Loki found out he had had two brothers) or the promise of a better future, and while Loki didn’t necessarily trust them - even after continued contact showed him they weren’t all like the stories he’d grown up hearing - he did see the advantage of having them.

 

    They lay in bed after a long day of planning, Loki once again wearing his aesir glamour running his fingers distractedly through Charlotte’s fiery tresses, which was inadvertently lulling her into a light doze, her head resting on his chest comfortably. After a while she looked up at him, a thought fleeting through her mind suddenly. “Hey, that night before we... got here,” She began, glossing over their less than pleasant arrival, “You said something before falling asleep. What was it?”

 

    “It has been almost two weeks since that and _now_ you think to ask?” Loki asked back, looking down at her amusedly.

 

    “Oh, fuck off,” Charlotte retorted, punching his ribs lightly, earning a chuckle, “Tell me.”

 

    Loki looked up to the ceiling, staying silent for a while. “I was apologising,” He finally said, “For leaving you.” He looked down at her. “Not that it was necessary,” He added pointedly.

 

    “Still not apologising again,” Charlotte replied with a slight huff.

 

    Loki sighed and moved his hand from her hair to drape his arm over her middle. “I suppose I should have known better,” He said then smirked slightly, “I know well enough how stubborn you are.”

 

    “Oh, like you’re any better,” Charlotte scoffed good-naturedly.

 

****

 

    The next day they assembled with the two frost giants that would come with them to guard their passageway; Loki wore his armour and Charlotte a similar lightweight, armoured dark outfit the jötnar had made for her with what materials were available in the realm’s current state and Loki’s seidr. He would have preferred she stay put, but knew she wouldn’t no matter what he said, so he at least wanted to make sure she’d be better protected than the last time.

 

    Surveillance had determined that the passage Loki had used to and from the realm had indeed been closed, but Charlotte had suggested they use the Bifrost crystal he had given her to open it again. Once in Asgard, they would go into the vault and grab the Casket, using Loki’s knowledge of the Destroyer to circumvent the thing.

 

    “We won’t have long before we’re noticed,” Loki said as they stood before the rift, “I can shield us from Heimdall’s sight, but re-opening a rift, particularly this one, will definitely draw his attention. Once we’re through into Asgard, I can’t keep him from seeing where the disturbance comes from exactly; we must have the Casket and be back before Odin can organise the armies, or this will all be for nothing.”

 

    “It won’t be,” One of the giants, a well-seasoned hunter by the name of Agmundr, said resolutely, “If we fail; we die proud with the knowledge that we tried to save our realm.”

 

    “We’ll do our best,” Charlotte promised, earning a slight smile from Agmundr’s scarred face.

 

    “Just as long as ‘our best’ does not include you getting stabbed on my behalf,” Loki said scoldingly as he turned to the crevice on the side of the mountain where the rift once stood.

 

    “Will you let that go already?” Charlotte groaned in exasperation as she joined him and handed him the shard, causing the two giants behind them to chuckle quietly.

 

    Loki closed his eyes in concentration, willing the energy in the shard to awaken the dormant energy of the rift while making sure not to use it all so they would have a way out of the vault and back to Jötunheim. Once the passage was open he grabbed Charlotte’s hand and pulled her through behind him. With Loki’s effort the passage let out in a dark corner of the vault, near the Casket but far enough that the Destroyer was not immediately activated.

 

    From behind the pillars Loki sent a burst of seidr to the wall before the Destroyer, locking it in and buying them some time, before they moved towards the Casket. He more felt than heard the burst of magick sent their way before they reached the pedestal, and he quickly pushed Charlotte forward then turned and cast a shield to block the shot. At the top of the stairs stood Odin, Gungnir held in his hands and aimed in their direction, which told Loki the shot was meant to incapacitate and not kill; there was no way he could have blocked it otherwise.

 

    “Loki,” The king called, beginning to make his way down the steps, “I don’t know what madness you have planned this time, but it ends now.”

 

    “Madness, Allfather?” Loki retorted coolly, “I’ve only come to take back what is mine.”

 

    “The Casket stays here, where it can do no harm,” Odin replied, “I will not return a weapon to a realm all too ready to use it.”

 

    “The Casket is not only a weapon and you damn well know it,” Loki spat taking a step forward to subtly keep himself between Odin and Charlotte. He was not going to risk her getting caught in any crossfire. “Why not just admit that you would rather keep Jötunheim weak and so compliant?”

 

    Odin huffed a humourless laugh. “Since when do you care what happens to the jötnar?” He challenged.

 

    “Since I learned what they are _truly_ like, without aesir prejudice,” Loki replied, glaring at the old king, “The very prejudice _you_ ingrained in me while you let me believe I was one of you.”

 

    “I only wished to ensure another war would not occur.”

 

    “You wanted to be sure I could be controlled! Your puppet king, who would never even _think_ to raise a hand against you.”

 

    “No! That is not-” Odin began to reply, when his eye was drawn to movement by the pedestal behind Loki and then widened in shock. “Child; do not!” He called in warning, moving forward.

 

    Loki turned around to see Charlotte reaching for the Casket and felt his heart stop. “Charlotte, no!” He yelled and rushed forward, but it was too late.

 

    As Charlotte’s hands grasped the handles of the Casket, a deep chill spread through her, travelling up her fingers and all the way down her body. She gasped, her breath coming out in a fog before her mouth, but the pain she expected from the others’ alarm never came; instead it felt like stepping into an air conditioned room on a hot summer day. It was actually quite... pleasant. She let go of one handle and brought her hand up to her face, watching in fascinated shock as her skin began to turn the same blue as Loki’s natural skin from her fingertips down.

 

    “Oh, that... can’t be normal...” She said in a half whisper, looking up meet equally surprised faces.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In other news; I successfully made Nutella mousse and I feel like an absolute boss. Nothing could possibly ruin my day today.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a heads up: Next week will probably be devoid of updates. I've already started on the next chapter, but I had a very busy week and my back, neck and wrists are killing me. I will likely have more work next week, but even if I don't I really need to rest. I'll try to update at least once but I make no promises.

    Charlotte wasn’t sure what possessed her to do it. Loki had told her what had happened when he’d touched the Casket himself, made a point of telling her it was dangerous for her to do so and to leave it to him. And she just disregarded that completely.

 

    She hadn’t been able to help it, really; it was as though something called to her.

 

    Was _still_ calling to her, as a matter of fact.

 

    Both men before her looked utterly confused, their argument seemingly forgotten, though Odin’s gaze also held suspicion as he turned it to Loki. “What have you done?” He more or less demanded, causing Loki to look at him incredulously.

 

    “Of _course_ you would immediately assume this was _my_ doing,” Loki huffed in annoyance.

 

    “Who else would have the ability to do _that,”_ Odin gestured to Charlotte, who was by now mostly blue with lines matching Loki’s, “To a human?”

 

    “Yeah; standing right here, thanks,” Charlotte spoke up, getting their attention, then grabbed the other handle again and lifted the Casket, “Now, as much as I love being ignored; we kinda have places to be.”

 

    “You will _not_ be going anywhere with that!” Odin snapped, shifting his hold on Gungnir slightly.

 

    “Oh, but we will,” Loki replied, stepping in front of Charlotte again protectively, summoning their exit portal with the shard still held in his hand.

 

    Odin moved to attack but Charlotte stepped out from behind Loki and, seemingly on instinct, used the Casket to create a thick wall of ice between them. “Word of advice, Odin,” Charlotte called as they began to leave, “Next time you tell someone that they were born to be a king, you shouldn’t be too surprised when they take it seriously.”

 

    Once Charlotte went through the portal, Loki looked back through the ice at the man he once called father with a perfectly blank expression. “Don’t bother bringing your armies to Jötunheim, Allfather,” He warned plainly, “You may have defeated Laufey in the end, but I have the advantage of knowing exactly how Asgard operates.”

 

    With that, he turned and stepped through the portal, closing it behind him.

 

****

 

    The moment she was through the portal, Charlotte wasted no time in making her way back to their mounts, past the two very surprised jötnar, with Loki close behind. His warning to Odin may have given the old king some pause, but it would be foolish to think he wouldn’t be coming anyway. They had to be ready for him. During the ride back, he went through every piece of information he could think of to explain what had happened to Charlotte; he hadn’t been lying to say he hadn’t done anything that would have that result. Knowingly, anyway.

 

    But, much as he was loath to admit it, Odin had a point; there weren’t exactly a lot of people who it _could_ have been. So it was safe to say he was responsible; the question was: How? Obviously through magick, but how? The only time had used seidr on her directly had been...

 

    _Oh, Hel..._

 

    Agmundr had taken the Casket from Charlotte when they reached the temple where Odin had found Loki as an infant, and she watched curiously as her skin returned to its usual porcelain tone. She couldn’t see her eyes but she assumed they had gone back to grey. She turned to Loki to find him watching her also, but he looked a bit guilty until he saw her looking at him and forced the expression aside.

 

    “Alright; what’s with the look?” Charlotte asked, “And don’t tell me it’s nothing, because you’d be lying and I’ll probably throw something at you.”

 

    Loki opened his mouth to ask what she could possibly find to throw in there then thought better of it, remembering the tweezers incident. He sighed slightly then dispelled the glamour on his hand and grabbed hold of hers, letting his skin cool enough to trigger the change in her as well. “I did this to you,” He finally said, staring at their hands.

 

   “How?” Charlotte asked, following his gaze. She hadn’t noticed before, but her skin still had its freckles; they were just a darker shade of blue than the rest now.

 

    “When I healed you,” Loki replied, “I told you it was a complicated spell. I wasn’t even sure I could cast it, honestly. I was losing you; I had to do _something_.” He raised their hands closer to her eye level, rubbing his thumb over her knuckles. “Clearly, I did more than that,” He half murmured, brow furrowed slightly.

 

    “When you said the spell nearly killed you...” Charlotte asked.

 

    “I meant it took a tremendous amount of energy,” Loki replied, looking back up at her face, “I basically gave you a part of my own life force to make up for your fleeting one. I think...” He paused momentarily, unsure how she would react, “I think I’ve turned you into a human/frost giant hybrid.”

 

    Charlotte was silent for a moment, looking back at their hands. “Huh,” She said at length, looking back up at him with something of a smile, “At least I won’t have to worry much about the weather around here.”

 

    Besides them Agmundr burst into laughter, the other jötunn besides him looking at Charlotte bemusedly. “You are a curious little creature,” The older hunter commented good-naturedly.

 

    “You don’t know the half of it,” Loki replied with a slight shake of his head. He walked over and held his hands out for the Casket; Agmundr handed it over and he went to the centre of the room, where a raised pedestal stood, almost as tall as he was. “I have no idea what will happen when I do this,” He called over his shoulder, “It would probably be best if you stood back.”

 

    Agmundr and the other jötunn, Einarr if memory served, walked over to where Charlotte stood and flanked her, ready to protect her if necessary. Loki placed the Casket on the pedestal and stood back a bit; it began to glow and there was a slight tremor then all was still.

 

   “Well; that was anticlimactic,” Charlotte said after a moment.

 

    As if on cue, the Casket suddenly glowed to an almost blinding intensity and a wave of energy burst out of it, knocking them all off their feet and continuing on well outside the temple, the remaining walls and pillars of the ruined building trembling under the strain. Loki was the first back on his feet followed by the other jötnar, and Agmundr helped Charlotte up as he reached them.

 

    “Are you alright, Lotte?” Loki asked, looking her over to check for wounds.

 

    “I’m fine,” She said dismissively, brushing herself off, “But what the fuck was _that?”_

 

    “One way to find out,” Loki replied then offered her his hand.

 

    Once they made their way out of the temple they were assaulted by brightness that took them a moment to realise was _sun_ light. “Fuck me; there actually _is_ a sun,” Charlotte spoke up in surprise as she shielded her eyes with her free hand.

 

    “Very... _eloquently_ put assessment; thank you, Charlotte,” Loki replied, earning a grin, “We should get back to the throne; if that wasn’t enough to spur Odin into action, nothing will be.”


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had to attend a cousin's funeral yesterday, and as tired and drained as I was last night, I couldn't sleep. My internet was being a bitch, so instead I wrote. And wrote. And _wrote._ There's proof reading to do and probably a few edits, but the end result was two or three chapters of this at least drafted that I don't fully remember writing. Might post them within the week, might ignore them completely until next week, but here's one in the mean time.

    Loki was staring at the throne, remembering the last time he’d stood before it, when Charlotte called his attention to the light of the Bifrost in the distance. He gave the order for the warriors in the room to disperse out of sight then summoned his armour onto himself; Charlotte stared maybe a _bit_ too long at him and promptly decided she was going to find as many excuses for him to wear it as she could.

 

    Loki walked up the steps to the throne and slowly ran his hand over it before turning and sitting down. He looked at Charlotte and she smiled at him. “Come here,” He said and held out his hand to her. She walked over to him and placed her hand in his without a moment’s hesitation. As he closed his fingers over her hand the glow of his seidr surrounded her; when it faded, her outfit had changed into a flowing deep green dress with silver accents in the sleeves and skirt and a silver breastplate. “Now you look like a queen,” He said approvingly.

 

    “What makes you think I want the job?” Charlotte asked jokingly.

 

    “This was _your_ idea, Lotte,” Loki replied in mock seriousness, “You don’t _actually_ have much of a choice.”

 

    “You know; you didn’t exactly put up much of a resistance,” Charlotte said, letting go of his hand to cross her arms at her chest.

 

    “Who could _possibly_ resist you?” Loki responded with a smile then gestured to the right of the throne, “Now, if you wouldn’t mind. Whoever Odin’s sent, because I don’t believe for a moment he actually came himself, will likely be here soon; I’d like to greet them with my partner at my side.”

 

    Charlotte snorted lightly. “Flatterer,” She teased as she moved to stand beside the throne.

 

****

 

    Out of the corner of her eye, Charlotte noticed Loki tense slightly as a group of five people became visible in the distance. She looked at him and saw he’d clenched his hand into a tight fist on the armrest of the throne; she placed her hand over his and he looked at her briefly before relaxing his hand, and she squeezed it lightly before letting go.

 

    When the group got close enough to be distinguishable, Charlotte understood Loki’s reaction; she’d seen enough news back on Midgard to recognise Thor, and the others could only be his friends from what Loki had told her, the Lady Sif and the Warriors Three. It only made sense that Odin would send Loki’s only surviving weak spot to deal with the perceived threat, but that didn’t make her dislike the old king any less for it. As the group got close enough to see the throne, they all looked surprised to see who was sitting on it, none more so than Thor.

 

    “Loki?” Thor said, the disbelief completely evident in his voice and expression, “But... how? You died...”

 

    “I got better,” Loki replied simply with a slight smirk, “Doing your father’s bidding again? I thought you were done with that when you left for Midgard after we committed treason.”

 

    “I return when I am needed.”

 

    “And yet, here you are...”

 

    “The Casket was stolen-”

 

    “Yes, it _was,_ but now it’s home. Where it should be.”

 

    “Brother-”

 

    “Yes, _‘brother’,”_ Loki practically spat the word, “Did you know I had two? Helblindi and Býliestr; apparently good men, not that I’ll ever know now.”

 

    “You cannot possibly blame father for _that,_ Loki,” Thor argued.

 

    “Oh, but I do,” Loki replied evenly, “ _Both_ of them, in fact.”

 

    “And so you take the Casket back for, what, revenge?”

 

    Loki did his best to keep from rolling his eyes and was only marginally successful. “It may come as a shock to you, Thor, but not everything I do is out of anger or hate,” Loki replied, unable to keep all of the exasperation from his voice.

 

    “Why, then?” Thor insisted, stepping closer while the warriors behind him stood more on guard, remembering well what had happened the last time they were there, “If not for revenge, then for what?”

 

    “Oh, for once in your life, Thor, look around you!” Loki spat, slamming his fists on the armrests and standing up. He walked down the steps to the throne and stood a few feet away from Thor. “Notice something other than your own existence,” He continued, spreading his arms wide to gesture at their surroundings, “This realm is falling apart without the Casket; we _need it_ to survive.”

 

    “It was taken away for a reason,” Thor argued, “The frost giants cannot be trusted with it.”

 

    Loki stood up straight, regarding Thor coolly. “‘The frost giants’,” He repeated tonelessly; he let his glamour fade, his natural skin overtaking his features slowly until there was nothing left of the illusion, “You seem to forget I am one of them. Then again, you don’t trust me, do you? So I suppose it fits.”

 

    “That is not-”

 

    “Leave, Thor; you are neither wanted nor needed here,” Loki interrupted, turning on his heel and heading back to the throne to sit, “I have no plans to start a war; Asgard has nothing to fear from Jötunheim unless Odin attacks first,” he leaned forward and regarded Thor with deadly seriousness, “And if he does; rest assured that I will slaughter you all. And we both know I can.”

 

    “Loki, I can’t simply leave,” Thor argued, somewhat unnerved by the vehemence of Loki’s warning, “I am sworn to protect the Nine Realms.”

 

    At that Charlotte took a step forward, leaning her hip against the throne. “I’m sorry, but, I was under the impression that Jötunheim _was_ one of the realms,” She said in mock confusion.

 

    “Who are you?” Thor asked, not having truly noticed her before in his shock to see Loki alive.

 

    “Well, my name’s Charlotte, but _you_ can call me ‘Your Highness’,” Charlotte replied with a wink.

 

    Thor eyed her bemusedly then looked to Loki, who simply shrugged. “Right... well,” Thor said, getting his bearings back, “Jötunheim does have a history-”

 

    “So does Asgard,” Charlotte interrupted somewhat casually, “You should hear some of the things they say about you here; I thought _my_ childhood monsters were bad...”

 

    “We are not monsters,” Thor said indignantly, “The jötnar were the ones who invaded Midgard, _your_ realm; we defended it.”

 

    “You know, you of all people should know it only takes one person to start a war,” Loki said pointedly, causing Thor to shift slightly at the reminder, “That war was Laufey’s, and most who fought it in and thought like him are dead; the rest will be soon enough unless they happen to change their minds.”

 

    “And seriously, that war’s been over for most of your lifetime,” Charlotte added, “You won, let it go already. These people? They don’t care; they just want to live their lives not having to worry about when their home is going to collapse on them.”

 

    “You expect us to take your word for it?” Sif challenged.

 

    “I genuinely couldn’t give a single fuck what you think,” Charlotte retorted sharply, taking them aback, “You don’t have to take my word for it; just look around. Would any of you like to live here?”

 

    “I think the weather might disagree with us,” The other blond, Fandral if she remembered correctly, replied lightly.

 

    “The Casket stays home,” Loki said, “Take your friends and leave, Thor; you don’t belong here.”

 

    “Neither do you!” Thor argued, “This will not end well, Loki.”

 

    “If it doesn’t,” Loki replied calmly, “It won’t be because of _me.”_

 

    Thor sighed heavily, his shoulders slumping slightly. “You know this is not over,” He said.

 

    “Of course it isn’t,” Loki replied with a hint of contempt, “The Allfather does hate to lose.”


	12. Chapter 12

    As soon as their aesir ‘guests’ left, reluctant though their departure was, Loki set about preparing for the next visit. Because there would be a next time, he was sure of it even if Thor hadn’t said anything regarding such.

 

    _The Allfather hates to lose._

 

    Charlotte followed close after him as he gave his orders, worrying about what her role in all this would be; she wasn’t exactly much of a fighter if it came to that, previous act of homicide notwithstanding. She knew next to nothing about the politics of either realm, she wasn’t very good at planning anything. The only kind of experience she had to her credit was in how to deal with other people’s bullshit in a more or less calm fashion from working in retail for three years. What exactly could she do, besides provide moral support?

 

    “Stop that,” Loki suddenly said as he stopped walking and turned to face her.

 

    “Stop what?” Charlotte asked confusedly.

 

    “Doubting yourself; stop it,” Loki scolded.

 

    “H-... How could you _possibly_ know that?” Charlotte asked bemusedly, “I haven’t said a word and I’ve walking behind you this entire time.”

 

    Loki blinked, looking a little surprised. “You... you haven’t said anything?” He asked.

 

    “No,” Charlotte replied, eyeing him oddly, “Not since Thor and the others left.”

 

    Loki stared at her closely, brows furrowed, as though trying to gauge her honesty. “...That’s interesting,” He finally said, more to himself, before turning and continuing on his way.

 

    Charlotte stared after him for a moment in complete confusion then followed, having to nearly run to catch up to him. “What’s interesting?” She asked as she reached him, but he didn’t reply.

 

****

 

    It didn’t really take much to get the jötnar to prepare for possible conflict with Asgard given most already thought it was only a matter of time before such occurred. They easily rallied for defence, though some thought a pre-emptive attack was called for, as was expected; it was mostly the older giants, ones who had fought under Laufey in the last war, as well as a few hot-headed younger ones who simply didn’t fully understand the consequences of all-out war in their current state.

 

    Agmundr proved himself invaluable in rooting out such opinions for Loki to deal with, mostly conveying them to Charlotte as Loki concentrated more on strategizing and learning as much as he could about how the Casket worked. Charlotte found herself liking the man’s company; he was surprisingly insightful and quite observant and intelligent, as well as being very welcoming and friendly to her. He claimed she reminded him of one of his daughters. Charlotte made him promise to introduce them, though he expressed worry over what that would mean for the sanity of the realm.

 

    It was late on the fourth day after Thor’s visit and Charlotte was lying in a bath, Loki in another tub near hers with an opaque divider between them (she wasn’t quite _that_ comfortable around him just yet), head back and eyes closed, thinking.

 

    “Lotte, stop worrying,” Loki said suddenly, causing her eyes to snap open.

 

    “Okay, seriously; how are you doing that?” Charlotte asked, sitting up and poking the divider with one finger, opening a small window into the ice that formed it at his eye level. They had discovered she could do simple things like that the previous day and she had yet to miss an opportunity to make use of it.

 

    “I have a theory...”

 

    “Which is?”

 

    Loki sat up, bracing himself on the edge of the tub. “When I... _changed you_ into what you are now; I basically gave you a piece of myself. I think that created a sort of link between us.”

 

    “So you’re... hearing my thoughts?”

 

    “Yes.”

 

    “I’ve been like this for three weeks, though, and you couldn’t do that before.”

 

    “I’ve never exactly done this before, Charlotte; I don’t know how it works. Maybe the connection simply didn’t manifest until now.”

 

    Charlotte bit her lip in thought. “Or maybe something changed,” She suggested.

 

    “Maybe so...”

 

    “Either way; _stay out of my head.”_

 

    “Well, I don’t do it on purpose,” Loki said defensively, “If I’m not looking at you, how am I supposed to tell what you’ve said aloud and what you haven’t?”

 

    Charlotte frowned. “Well, we’ve got to figure something out, and soon,” She huffed then closed the gap in the divider and settled back into the bath.

 

****

 

    Charlotte woke suddenly, though she wasn’t entirely sure why. She turned over onto her back and looked round the room; seeing nothing amiss, she rolled back over onto her stomach, clutching the pillow and burying her face into it, fully intent on going back to sleep. That was when she heard a noise, very faint but easily distinguishable in the otherwise silent room. She tensed slightly but didn’t move again, instead pretending to be asleep; it was an old habit, one that had likely saved her life a few times.

 

    A large shadow loomed over her and she sprung up suddenly, hurling a large shard of ice she had formed in her hand under the pillow at her intruder, rolling off the bed as soon as it left her grasp. A pained grunt left her attacker and they dropped the weapon in their hand. Charlotte didn’t linger; she turned and ran out of the room as quickly as her legs could carry her. Outside in the hall were three guards, all of whom turned their heads to her and then up over her shoulder to the wounded jötunn coming up behind her.

 

    Their reaction time was commendable, Charlotte thought vaguely, ducking around one of them as he rushed to intercept the intruder. Another soon joined him while the last stood before Charlotte defensively. Between the two guards, the somewhat smaller jötunn was quickly restrained and brought to her knees just as Loki rounded the corner, having been awake and hearing the commotion.

 

    “What in Hel is going on here?” Loki demanded.

 

    “She tried to kill me,” Charlotte replied.

 

    Loki stood before the giantess and narrowed his eyes at her. “Explain yourself,” He commanded lowly.

 

    “That half-human _bitch_ has no place in our realm,” The giantess spat, glaring at Charlotte.

 

    “‘That half-human bitch’ is your _queen,_ and the only reason you will even _have_ a realm,” Loki retorted coolly, “Or at least, you would, if you were going to live to see morning.”

 

    The jötunn’s eyes quickly snapped back to Loki and widened in fear as his words fully registered in her mind. Without another word, Loki summoned his dagger, pulled her head up by a fistful of her hair, and plunged the blade under her jaw and up to her brain. With a sharp twist of the blade, the life faded from the giantess’s eyes and she fell limp in the guards’ hold; Loki pulled the blade out and wiped it on the dead woman’s clothes before taking a step back.

 

    “See to it that all know what happens if they dare to move against the queen again,” Loki ordered. The guards nodded and dragged the traitor away; with a nod, Loki dismissed the remaining guard back to his post then went over to Charlotte, who was looking at him slightly wide-eyed. “Are you alright, Lotte?” He asked, taking her face in his hands, forgetting about the blood on one.

 

    Charlotte blinked. “I’m fine,” She replied somewhat quietly, “But remind me never to piss you off.”

 

    Loki laughed slightly at that. “My dear Lotte; you are likely the only person in the universe who has nothing to fear from me,” He said with a half-smile before leaning down to kiss her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pareidolia (/pærᵻˈdoʊliə/ parr-i-doh-lee-ə) is a psychological phenomenon involving a stimulus (an image or a sound) wherein the mind perceives a familiar pattern of something where none actually exists.
> 
> That has absolutely nothing to do with this story, but it's where I ended up while looking up how to spell 'consequences'. Don't ask.


	13. Chapter 13

    A quick wash later they were in Loki’s chamber, Charlotte tucked snugly against Loki’s side with her head on his chest just over his heart, his arm around her. She had been willing to go back to her own bed, with a guard or two outside her door of course, but Loki had insisted on keeping her close and she wasn’t in the mood to argue. She had a feeling he felt responsible for the close call and this was his way of making up for it.

 

    “Admit it,” Charlotte began jokingly, “You set the whole thing up just to get me into bed with you.”

 

    Loki chuckled quietly. “Well, it worked, didn’t it?” He joked back.

 

    There was silence for a while then Charlotte sat up a bit, bracing herself on his chest. “You know she wasn’t the only one who thinks like that,” She said.

 

    “I know; just as there are those who disagree with my decision not to go to war with Asgard again, or my being king at all,” Loki replied, running the fingertips of his free hand up her arm, “But she will be the only one to get that close. Starting tomorrow, I’m assigning Agmundr to be your personal guard as well as teach you to defend yourself.” He pulled on her arm slightly, coaxing her into lying back down, then wrapped his arms around her tightly. “I should have done that sooner,” He said quietly, “I’m sorry.”

 

    “Don’t be; there’s a lot going on,” Charlotte replied, “And really, who’d have thought someone would be stupid enough to go after me _now_ when there was no possible way they’d get away with it? Because I saw the look on her face; she was _not_ prepared to die.”

 

    “No, she was not,” Loki agreed.

 

    “More importantly; how are we doing?” Charlotte asked, “If Odin does decide to outright attack now; can we handle that?”

 

    “There would be loses, likely great; this realm has been too long in disrepair,” Loki admitted, “But I spent quite a bit of time studying and learning aesir battle strategies. We’ll survive. And even if we don’t; I will not make this easy for him.”

 

    Charlotte hummed in understanding. “How far would he go?”

 

    Loki gave it some thought. “He won’t destroy the realm, that much is certain,” He replied, “But the only reason I wasn’t executed after the attack on Midgard was my mother, and she’s dead. If we lose; I won’t survive it. As for the realm, it would be worse off than before; he’ll want to be sure the surviving jötnar never even think of going up against Asgard again.”

 

    Charlotte took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. “I guess we better win, then,” She said, snuggling closer to him.

 

****

 

    As decided, when Charlotte stepped out of Loki’s chambers the next morning Agmundr was waiting for her and proceeded to keep close. He took her to a ruined section of the palace where the roof was completely gone and began to teach her the basics of frost giants’ ability to create and manipulate ice. It would be, he told her, her first and last line of defence; whether it be from creating a weapon for herself as she’d done the previous night or as a means to shield herself from an attack.

 

    By the end of the third hour of practice Charlotte could reliably form a thick wall of ice before her to block incoming blows from Agmundr, though her arms sported quite a few blossoming bruises from when the shield broke under the pressure, as he had refused to hold back.

 

    “Your enemies will not hold back and wait until you’ve regained your strength,” He said as he stepped around the wall, “You must learn to cope with pain.”

 

    “Oh, believe me, I have plenty of experience with that,” Charlotte replied bitterly as she dissolved her shield.

 

    “Good,” He said simply, “One less lesson I have to teach.”

 

    Charlotte huffed a laugh. “You really don’t sugar-coat things, do you?” She asked with a half-smile.

 

    “Would you prefer I did?” Agmundr asked knowingly.

 

    “Hell no,” Charlotte replied easily, “One more?”

 

    Agmundr grinned approvingly then stepped back, nodding at her to begin. Charlotte quickly shook herself out and flexed her fingers, calling on the magick flowing through her; she had brought up a wall as Agmundr began to charge at her, a mace of ice formed on his arm, when there was a flash of light in the distance to their side that could only be the Bifrost. They stopped and looked over then at each other, exchanging a quick look of understanding, before turning to the doorway and rushing out of the room.

 

    They ran into Loki, who wore his armour, followed by at least a dozen armoured frost giants, and fell into step beside him. Loki glanced down at Charlotte and noticed the bruises with a frown but said nothing, merely flicked his hand out slightly and changed her shirt into a long-sleeved one that covered them completely, adding silver braces that matched his own gold.

 

    The troops were spread out amongst the ice formations a few feet away from the palace, their presence undeniable but not necessarily threatening. Their message was clear: Jötunheim would not attack first, but neither would it back down. The warriors that had been following Loki hung back, leaving just him, Charlotte and Agmundr to meet whomever Odin had sent, and once again he wished Charlotte would listen to him and stay somewhere safe. He knew she wouldn’t, though.

 

    The envoy came into view a short while later, easily four dozen strong, but Charlotte didn’t recognise the men leading it; by the scowl on Loki’s face, though, he certainly did. With a signal from him, the warriors behind them stood at the ready, eyes trained for the slightest hint of aggression.

 

    “Oddr,” Loki greeted tersely as the leader stopped before them, flanked by two others in kind.

 

    “Laufeyson,” The other man practically spat, eyeing Loki with an expression akin to disgust, “The Allfather has given you one final chance to surrender the Casket; I suggest you take it.”

 

    “Still bitter after all these centuries,” Loki said in a slightly mocking tone, “I can’t imagine why; you’re the one who left. More to the point,” he looked upwards, ignoring the men before him completely, “You can tell the Allfather his... _offer..._ is duly noted, but, regretfully, I’m going to have to decline.”

 

    “Then I get the pleasure of relieving you of your head!” Oddr said as he drew his sword.

 

    “ _Funny_ you should mention that...” Loki taunted with a grin as he created a sword of ice in his hand.

 

    Oddr let out something of an angry snarl and charged at Loki. Charlotte took that as her cue to rush off to the side and behind a large ice-covered rock to wait for the signal she and Loki had agreed upon, peeking her head around the corner to keep an eye on him. As ice and metal clashed, the other warriors on both sides began to move, some more than eager for a battle.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Writing battle scenes is hard, yo. Fuck it. *throws chapter and proceeds to curl up in a corner*

    The scene that unfolded was by no means pretty. It wouldn’t take a very deep look to notice the clear contempt each side had for the other; it was plain as day in the way they tore at each other, slashing and stabbing and bashing, staining the snow below them with blood. The frost giants had an advantage in that the terrain favoured their steps while the aesir slipped and stumbled, but that certainly did not make it easy; for every two Einherjar that fell, a jötunn warrior followed.

 

    Charlotte kept most of her attention on Loki as he battled Oddr in the middle of it all. Whatever had happened between the two men, and she had a pretty good idea what it was, Oddr very obviously wanted Loki dead; the look on his face was pure hatred, and she had a feeling that if he actually managed to land a blow, the result would be very, very bad. As it stood, Loki seemed not to be having much trouble dodging, parrying and blocking the attacks. She’d be lying if she said it wasn’t mesmerising to watch Loki fight; the way he moved was so... fluid. Though every time Oddr’s sword clashed against Loki’s armour she couldn’t help but flinch slightly.

 

    Loki sidestepped a rather poorly-aimed downward slash and aimed for Oddr’s leg as he moved past him, the enchanted ice grinding as it scratched the metal of his armour, loosening the plate some. Swords definitely weren’t Loki’s favourite weapons, but he was by no means inexperienced in their use. Oddr snarled at him as he turned and swung out at his head faster than he expected, and Loki only just managed to dodge back and parry the blow; he’d forgotten how agile the man could be despite being wider in build, almost to Thor’s level.

 

    “Tell me, Oddr; how is Agneta these days?” Loki asked tauntingly, looking to distract the man into making a mistake, “Does she miss me? Our last meeting left such fond memories, after all.”

 

    “Do not dare speak of her, níðingr!” Oddr growled in response, his next attack slightly less coordinated, “I’ll carve your tongue out!”

 

    Loki laughed coldly as he blocked. “I see you still don’t like competition,” He mocked, his tongue darting out to slide over his bottom lip in a none-too-subtle suggestion.

 

    Oddr roared something unintelligible and lunged at Loki without thinking, his sword slashing right through him as the illusion vanished. Before he could turn to look for the real one; he felt a sharp pain and an almost unnatural coldness pierce his chest, and he looked down to find the now very bloodied and dripping blade of Loki’s sword poking out right through him. Even with the battle raging around them and his own rapidly approaching demise, Oddr was distinctly aware of Loki’s breath over the side of his face as he leaned close to his ear, could see it puffing out in a fog out of the corner of his eye.

 

    “Well, this is poetic, isn’t it?” Loki spoke lowly, “It’s a pity to leave dear, sweet Aga alone, but I doubt she’ll be un-consoled for long.”

 

    With that, he twisted the blade with undisguised relish, shredding the other’s heart. A sort of gurgling sound escaped Oddr’s lips and he twitched once more then was still as the life fled him. Loki didn’t have much time to enjoy the victory before another aesir came at him; he dropped Oddr’s body without another thought and engaged his new opponent fiercely.

 

    As the battle raged on, two Einherjar made their way towards Charlotte; they had orders to take her alive if possible. Odin wasn’t sure just what her significance to Loki was, but it clear she meant _something_ , and he had every intention of using that to his advantage if he could. Charlotte noticed their approach and mentally prepared herself; she wasn’t exactly looking forward to any violence, but she was done being helpless. She was _not_ going to rely on Loki or anyone else to save her all the time.

 

    The Einherjar didn’t think much of her judging by the way they regarded her and she used that to her advantage, playing the helpless damsel and ‘cowering’ further back into the ice. When they were close enough she placed her hands on the ice behind her and concentrated, willing it to change its shape and grow outwards into large barbed spikes that encased her, piercing and impaling themselves into the men before her, sending sprays of blood onto her as they cried out in shock and pain before dying.

 

    Pushing aside the feeling in the pit of her stomach, Charlotte parted the ice and let the bodies fall before stepping around them and back to her previous spot. She looked back onto the battlefield just as Loki looked towards her, hesitating for a second as he took in the blood that covered her before giving her the signal, and she nodded and held out her hands in front of her as though holding something between them. Just like he’d taught her, she called the Casket to her, grasping onto the handles tightly the moment it was in her hands.

 

    Charlotte knelt, holding the Casket to the snow before her, and closed her eyes in concentration. The Casket began to glow slightly and seemed to hum with power; the wind began to pick up, whirling the snow into its arms in ever widening arcs. It wasn’t long before the aesir noticed something had changed as they had a much harder time seeing their surroundings and the cold intensified. The frost giants wasted no time taking advantage and pushing their opponents back, feeling revitalised by the power of the Casket flowing into them from the snow below.

 

    There were barely two dozen left when the Einherjar decided the battle was lost and turned to retreat. Loki gave the order not to pursue and the warriors stood cheering at the victory while he quickly made his way over to Charlotte. She was just standing up when he reached her, the Casket still in her cobalt hands.

 

    “Lotte, are you alright?” Loki asked, placing his hands on her shoulders and eyeing her in concern.

 

    Charlotte looked down at herself, seeming to notice the blood covering her for the first time, and looked back up to him. “It’s not mine,” She repeated his words back to him, a slight smirk playing on a corner of her lips, causing him to laugh through the breath of relief he exhaled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> níðingr (NEETH-ing-uhr) = villain, vile person


	15. Chapter 15

    The wounded were tended to, the battlefield cleared of the dead, and they allowed themselves a moment of rest. At Charlotte’s urging, the aesir casualties were gathered and sent further out where their kinsmen could retrieve them, the reasoning being they should take the higher ground and prove they weren’t the monsters Asgard was so determined to paint them as. Loki doubted that, or anything else for that matter, would actually make a difference but went along with it anyway for her sake.

 

    Charlotte sat on a ruined balcony in the palace, the railing long since gone save for a few pieces here and there, the skirts of the black dress she’d changed into bunched up at her knees and her legs dangling over the edge, swinging slowly back and forth as she stared out at the horizon hardly seeing it. She jumped slightly as Loki came to sit next to her, taking her hand and placing it on his lap, entwining their fingers.

 

    “It gets easier,” Loki said after a while, “Twisted comfort, I know, but it does.”

 

    Charlotte huffed a humourless laugh. “How many centuries ’til that, though?” She asked almost tonelessly, “How many lives?”

 

    “Admittedly, I didn’t count,” Loki replied.

 

    “Surprised you’re not exercising your right to say ‘I told you so’,” Charlotte said with the ghost of a smile on her lips.

 

    “I’m not that callous,” Loki scoffed then waited a moment before speaking again, “But I did.”

 

    Charlotte scoffed then pulled her hand back from his and shoved his shoulder, earning a laugh. “What did I ever do to deserve you?” She asked half-jokingly.

 

    “You bashed a man’s skull in,” Loki replied almost gleefully.

 

    _“Accidentally!”_ Charlotte said defensively, mostly succeeding in supressing a laugh.

 

    “I rather doubt that would be much comfort to _him,”_ Loki replied.

 

    “Well, he should have thought of that _before_ assaulting me,” Charlotte said with a shrug and he chuckled. They sat in silence for a while and she moved to lean against him a bit, to which he responded by wrapping his arm around her waist and pulling her closer. “That man you talked to before the fight started...” She began quietly.

 

    “Oddr,” Loki supplied in the neutral tone she had come to recognise as his way of distancing himself from something.

 

    “I take it there was... _history_...”

 

    “There was,” Loki replied, sounding a bit uncomfortable, “It’s rather brief, we were barely adults, and it was mostly just sex.”

 

    “Mostly?”

 

    “I got a bit attached.”

 

    “Ah. What happened?” Charlotte asked carefully. She didn’t want to bring up bad memories, but she really wanted to know. Loki never really talked about his past relationships, just that none had ever really worked out, which she could’ve guessed on her own.

 

    “He got bored,” Loki replied bitterly, wanting nothing but for this conversation to be over. He didn’t begrudge her curiosity; she had every right to know, especially since he already knew basically everything about the only past relationship she’d ever had.

 

    “Okay, so why did he hate you so much?”

 

    “Agneta,” Loki replied, earning a questioning look, and he sighed, “His betrothed. I may or may not have... _relieved her_ of her maidenhood on the eve of their wedding...”

 

    “Dude!” Charlotte exclaimed, sitting up straight and staring at him incredulously.

 

    “Not my finest moment, I’ll admit, but in my defence she had been practically throwing herself at me since long before that; I just never paid her any attention.”

 

    “Still pretty fucked up.”

 

    “Lotte, I loved him, in a way. He left me and not a week later I hear of his impending marriage to a woman we had _both_ overlooked who had shown interest in me,” Loki leaned back onto his hands, looking up at the sky, “We’d had an argument over her flirting even; he knew it would hurt me to know he chose her after I’d chosen him. It doesn’t make what I did any better, but I’ve never been one to make very good decisions when I’m upset.”

 

    Charlotte sat up on her knees, leaned over to kiss his cheek then rested her forehead against his temple. “Well, if it’s any consolation; you’ll never have to worry about something like that from me,” She murmured, “Only _just_ managed to convince myself to trust _you;_ that ain’t happening again.”

 

    Loki smiled faintly then suddenly turned and grabbed her, pulling her over to straddle his lap before kissing her deeply, wrapping his arms around her as her hands found purchase on the front of his shirt. When they parted he hugged her close and buried his face in the crook of her neck. “I will do my best to ensure that trust is not misplaced,” He said at length, his words somewhat muffled by her skin but still audible.

 

    “You damn well better, or I’ll kill you in your sleep,” Charlotte replied, earning a laugh.

 

****

 

    Charlotte was gone when Loki woke up the next morning. He thought to be worried for a moment before deciding to ask the guard in the hall where she’d gone and being directed to the remains of a room near what was once the courtyard; there he found her training with Agmundr, who was teaching her to fight with the weapons made with her ice powers. He leaned against the doorway and watched as the hunter taught her the proper way to swing a sword. Agmundr was patient and encouraging in his own gruff way; when she made a mistake he didn’t stop the lesson, merely helped her up after and told her what she did wrong and how to correct it.

 

    Charlotte miscalculated a swing and missed, leaving Agmundr’s elbow free to collide with her face and knock her down to the floor with a pained grunt. The jötunn’s face flinched slightly when he saw the blood flowing from her split lip and battered nose then knelt down as she sat up. “You think too much or too little, húnn,” He admonished, his tone sounding awfully paternal, “Look enough to read your opponent, and let your instincts do the rest.”

 

    “If I listen to my instincts; I’d be running the other way,” Charlotte replied, her voice sounding muffled and nasal as she pinched her nose to try to stem the blood, “I’ve never been much of a fighter.”

 

    “Clearly not,” Agmundr huffed, “But even the most docile beast strikes when cornered, so you may as well know how to.”

 

    “I’m going to have to agree with him there,” Loki spoke up as he approached them, kneeling down on Charlotte’s other side while Agmundr stepped away, “Let me see.” Charlotte put her hand down and Loki tilted her face towards him, frowning as he inspected the injuries. “You’re lucky you’re not human anymore, or that likely would have killed you,” He half muttered as he began to heal her.

 

    “Won’t be the last time I get hurt,” Charlotte replied, hissing slightly as bone snapped back into place.

 

    “That doesn’t mean I’ll ever stop worrying, Lotte,” Loki replied, sitting back as he finished and taking her hand in his, looking into her eyes with utter seriousness, “The day I do is the day you should walk away and never look back.”

 

    Charlotte gave him a reassuring smile and squeezed his hand lightly. “I would,” She said softly, “I promise.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> húnn = 'child', 'cub'


	16. Chapter 16

    The next time the Bifrost reached out to the realm, they mobilised more swiftly. Word of the last battle as well as the news that the Casket was back in its rightful place reached far and wide, and men and women both young and old were more than eager to defend what was theirs; there wasn’t much time to train, but with how hostile the realm had become since the war near every one of them knew how to fight well.

 

    Charlotte donned her newly finished armour as she stood next to Loki; the under tunic was made of a thick black fabric, the vambraces, breastplate and greaves made of silver, and a silver helmet with horns curving back then up resembling a dragon’s rested on her head. The fingers of her right hand were loosely gripping the handle of an ice sword, ready to fight at a moment’s notice. Agmundr stood to Loki’s left as before, but once the battle began his main focus would be having Charlotte’s back.

 

    Once again, the aesir forces outnumbered them by dozens, even with their increased numbers, but if any were fazed by it they hid it well. The Allfather’s demands were repeated and Loki’s response amounted to basically telling the old king to go fuck himself, and thus the battle began. Once again, the snow soon was stained red as wounds were dealt and bodies fell. Charlotte put all thoughts from her mind save for what she needed to fight; slashing and stabbing with as much precision as she could manage, which was really quite well all things considered, Agmundr close by to catch whatever she missed.

 

    Loki spared her only a fraction of his attention as he fought, trusting her to take care of herself. It wasn’t an easy thing to do, but he didn’t have much choice and she wouldn’t be particularly happy if he got injured because he wasn’t paying attention to his opponent. In any case, he didn’t have the advantage he’d had against Oddr; the warriors before him were quite singularly focused, it seemed. He hissed as a sword he’d parried at the last moment caught his arm just above the elbow and threw a burst of ice magick at his opponent’s face, blinding him, before using him as a shield against the one that followed.

 

    Charlotte raised a curving slope of ice to block an incoming sword and used the opportunity to look around her quickly; she was mostly surrounded, though there were other jötnar besides Agmundr nearby to divert some of the attention away from her. All the same, the situation was not ideal. She took a deep breath and concentrated, willing spikes of ice to sprout from the ground and impaling whatever enemy they could reach within her immediate radius, taking care not to hurt her people.

 

    _Her_ people. It surprised her somewhat how easily she had come to think of them as such, when just a few short weeks ago she hadn’t even known of their existence.

 

    A sharp blow to her back nearly knocked her down and she turned to block the following attack; her muscles strained, but she succeeded in pushing her assailant back a step, knocking his mace aside and stabbing him in the abdomen. As she was pulling her sword back, he caught her arm and held on tight. Charlotte responded by letting him pull her towards himself and throwing her hand up towards his neck when she was close enough, the spike of ice she conjured along the way embedding itself into his throat and breaking off.

 

    Agmundr drove the spike of ice along one of his arms through the back and out the collarbone of an Einherjar who had been coming up behind Loki then hurled him at another intent on attacking Charlotte, knocking him into the snow and taking the man next to him down with him. Neither Loki nor Charlotte had realised how close they had come to each other until then, so focused on the enemy were they. Loki had to admit Charlotte looked quite imposing, small as she was in comparison to everyone else, covered in blood with an ice sword in one hand and wicked-looking barbs of ice wrapped up most of her other arm; the helmet had definitely been a very good decision.

 

    It seemed like ages before the battle began to slow. Eventually, though, the aesir realised they couldn’t win and the order was given to retreat. This time Loki didn’t stop the other jötnar from pursuing the fleeing enemy, and they followed for several feet, killing quite a few before pulling back. The injured and dead were sorted as before and they retired to rest and recover.

 

****

 

    Loki walked into his bathchamber after everything had been dealt with to find Charlotte standing before a wall of reflective ice still in her armour, staring at her reflection. He frowned and walked up to her, noticing then that she was trembling slightly.

 

    “Lotte,” He called softly. Her gaze flickered to his reflection for a moment then returned to her own. “Lotte,” He tried again, a bit louder, but received no response. He sighed and stepped in front of her.

 

    “I don’t know how many...” Charlotte said, barely above a whisper, “So many dead, and I don’t know how many I killed.”

 

    “Charlotte; don’t do this to yourself,” Loki replied with another sigh.

 

    He reached up and removed her helmet, setting it aside, followed by her vambraces and breastplate. He nudged her arms up and she raised them silently, letting him remove her tunic, leaving her in her undershirt. Kneeling down, he placed her hands on his shoulders so to keep her balanced as he removed her greaves and boots. He stood and led her to the filled tub, nudged her arms up again and pulled her undershirt off; her pants soon followed then he coaxed her into the water. Removing his own armour and clothes with his seidr, he joined her and pulled her into an embrace.

 

    They sat there for a while before he pushed her away slightly to begin washing her wordlessly. Once she was clean, he focused on himself and then got them both out of the tub and dried. Back in the bedchamber he sat them down on the bed and tilted Charlotte’s chin up gently, meeting her troubled eyes with his calm ones.

 

    “They are all praising your efforts out there,” He began, “You fought well, Charlotte.” She tried to look away but he held firm, keeping their gazes locked. “Do you know what would have happened if you hadn’t fought?” He asked, receiving no response as he expected, “We would have lost. I don’t think you realise how many joined the fight because of you, because of how well you wielded the Casket last time. This is your home now, Charlotte. _You_ chose it. You convinced me to choose it. Defending your home is nothing to abhor. And that is all you’ve done, love; defended your home and your people, like a proper queen.”

 

    Charlotte was silent for a long while then closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “‘A proper queen’, huh?” She finally said, opening her eyes and smiling slightly, “What would my parents think of me now?”

 

    Loki chuckled and leaned down to peck her lips lightly. “Perhaps we can pay them a visit someday and find out,” He replied, earning a slight laugh, “Now; I believe we are _both_ in dire need of rest.”

 

    Charlotte hummed tiredly in agreement, her exhaustion finally catching up with her. Loki took her into his arms and moved under the covers, holding her close and massaging her scalp with his fingers until she drifted to sleep before following her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case you're wondering about the horns on Charlotte's helmet: Think Maleficent. I looked up at my poster when I was thinking of designs and I just couldn't resist; those horns are beautifully fierce.


	17. Chapter 17

    She was sore as hell.

 

    It was the first thing to register as Loki woke her up the next morning. It felt like she’d been run over by a train; her joints and muscles were aching and every movement set her nerves alight with pain. She groaned and tried to roll over and go back to sleep but Loki was having none of it and pulled her into a sitting position.

 

    “You need to eat, Lotte,” He said somewhat scoldingly, “You barely ate after the battle.”

 

    “Ugh; why does that require moving?” Charlotte whined, trying to fall back onto the bed, but his grip was too strong and she too tired.

 

    “Eat something and I’ll help you with those aches.”

 

    She glared at him. “That’s not fair.”

 

    A shrug. “I’m not fair, Charlotte.”

 

    “I hate you.”

 

    “No, you don’t.”

 

    “I don’t like you.”

 

    “You don’t have to.”

 

    “I want to punch you.”

 

    He stood and stepped away, eyeing her challengingly. “Come and get me.”

 

    She flipped him off but didn’t lie back down and he flashed her a smug grin before turning and retrieving the tray of food on a nearby table. Charlotte wouldn’t have guessed much plant life could grow in a realm like Jötunheim, but it did; there were strange fruits as well as different types of roots and even some nuts. She’d grown especially fond of one which resembled pomegranates, the insides a deep purple colour and very sweet to the taste. Clearly whoever prepared their breakfast was aware of that for there were several of them cut in halves on the tray which she eyed fixedly, unconsciously licking her bottom lip.

 

    “It seems you have an admirer in the kitchens,” Loki said as he sat down before her, following her gaze to the fruit before looking back at her, “I’ve been told these are quite difficult to come by these days.”

 

    “We’re going to have to change that,” Charlotte replied quite vehemently, reaching for a fruit half eagerly.

 

    Loki laughed and picked up a piece of meat. “I’m sure there will be plenty growing once we restore the realm,” He said reassuringly as he watched her eat, her eyes closed and a small pleased moan escaping her. “And even if they don’t; I’ll have whole orchards planted just so I can enjoy this sight often,” He added lowly.

 

    Charlotte opened her eyes and looked at him, smiling somewhat abashedly at his expression. “I think I like you again,” She said after swallowing.

 

    “I know.”

 

    They continued eating in silence until the tray was empty then Loki took it to the door and had someone take it back to the kitchens. He let Charlotte doze for a while then moved her to lie down on her stomach, removing the shirt she’d slept in with his seidr; sitting beside her, he began massaging her shoulders, easing the tension out of her muscles with practised hands. Charlotte sighed in relief and he smiled. He moved down her arms, leaning down to kiss the back of her neck lightly, before moving back up and down her back and sides. She let out a moan quite suddenly that she quickly muffled with her hand, looking back at him slightly embarrassed.

 

    “Don’t hold back on _my_ account,” He said with a smirk.

 

    “Fuck you,” Charlotte laughed.

 

    “Now, now, Charlotte; it’s not nice to tease,” Loki replied coyly and she blushed. She actually _blushed._ Charlotte couldn’t even remember the last time she’d blushed. She hid her face in the covers beneath her and Loki laughed slightly. “My, aren’t you lovely when you blush?” He teased and she grumbled something unintelligible in response, earning another laugh.

 

    He moved onto her lower back then down her legs one at a time. When he was finished he moved back up, trailing the fingertips of one hand along her spine, earning a shiver, then stretched out on his back next to her and turned his head to face her. She smiled at him somewhat drowsily and reached a hand to cup his cheek. He smiled back and turned his head slightly to kiss her palm.

 

    “I love you,” Charlotte said softly after a while.

 

    “I’m aware.”

 

    “This is where you say it back, dumbass.”

 

    Loki laughed then sat up enough to turn her over onto her back and lean over her, placing his forearms on either side of her head so as to not crush her under his weight before leaning down to kiss her. The kiss was unhurried, equal parts passion and tenderness, and it made Charlotte’s heart skip a beat or two. He seemed to have that effect on her and part of her still couldn’t decide whether that was good or bad. She _wanted_ to believe it was good, but she had believed that before and look where it had gotten her.

 

    _He’s_ not _Lisa. Not even close._

 

    And yet...

 

    Loki pulled back with a slight sigh. “I’m not going to hurt you, Lotte,” He murmured seriously, “Especially not like _that.”_ She looked up at him apologetically and opened her mouth to reply but he kissed her again and sat up. “Don’t apologise. I know you need time to fully accept it and I intend to give you just that,” He said then smiled slightly, “Norns know I of all people know how hard it is to trust once you’ve been hurt in the ways we have.”

 

    “I’m not afraid of you,” Charlotte said quietly.

 

    “I know you’re not.”

 

    “I just...”

 

    “Lotte,” Loki interrupted gently, “I _know.”_

 

    Charlotte sat up, forgetting about her current lack of a shirt, and hugged him tightly, burying her face in his neck. He held her for a long while, running his hands up and down her back slowly. It both soothed her and made the differences between him and Lisa even more glaring, which made her hold onto him tighter.

 

    _She doesn’t belong here._ “I won’t let her keep running my life,” Charlotte muttered determinately.

 

    “No, you won’t; you’re stronger than her,” Loki replied. He parted from her enough so that their eyes met and kissed her again softly. “I love you,” He whispered against her lips.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so this chapter was mostly self-indulgent fluff. _I have needs okay!_


	18. Chapter 18

    It was almost two weeks before the Bifrost next touched onto the realm, and they had used that time to prepare for further battles as well as using the Casket to begin truly stabilising the realm. The change was undeniable; the weather was less hostile, the lands less barren, the wildlife was beginning to roam a bit more now that it could. And the older jötnar, ones who had been there before the war that lost them the Casket, assured them it was only beginning.

 

    The aesir troops they expected never arrived; instead, a lone figure approached them, his steps determined and all too familiar.

 

    “Thor,” Loki greeted neutrally.

 

    “Brother,” Thor replied solemnly.

 

    “Do _not_ call me that,” Loki snapped, “Not now.”

 

    “ _Loki,_ then,” Thor replied somewhat bitingly, “Shall I call you _Laufeyson_ as well?”

 

    It took all Loki had not to outright attack Thor, but succeed he did, remaining perfectly still but for the venom of his glare. _“Never,”_ He replied icily.

 

    “Why are you here?” Charlotte asked.

 

    “You know why,” Thor replied.

 

    “Then you’re leaving empty handed,” Loki said.

 

    “Loki; the longer you drag this out, the worse it will be,” Thor tried.

 

    “We’ll ‘drag this out’ for as long as it takes,” Charlotte retorted.

 

    “This is not even your concern; you are human!” Thor snapped, still wondering why she was even there.

 

    “I made it my concern; and no, I’m not!” Charlotte snapped back.

 

    Thor blinked in surprise and looked at Loki for an explanation. Loki rolled his eyes. “Doesn’t your father tell you anything?” He said mockingly, “She _was_ perfectly human, until one of your oh, so honourable warriors nearly killed her.”

 

    Thor frowned then shook his head sharply. “This changes nothing,” He said, “I cannot leave here without the Casket. We can’t have another war.”

 

    “We don’t _have to!”_ Loki replied, beginning to lose his patience, “I already told you I am not interested in warring with Asgard. And not only did I _not_ start the fight; I have yet to actually retaliate for _your_ invasions!”

 

    “You were offered a choice!” Thor said.

 

    “Oh, yeah, a choice: Surrender or die,” Charlotte scoffed, crossing her arms at her chest, “Some choice.”

 

    Thor looked slightly confused at that. “That was not-”

 

    “Oh, let me guess,” Loki interrupted with mocking lightness, “Odin told you he was negotiating for peace and you believed him like the gullible idiot you’ve always been. Well done.” He clapped slowly for emphasis; behind him several frost giants snickered. “Your father wants the Casket back at all costs,” He continued plainly, “He doesn’t care how many of us die in the process, mine _or_ yours.”

 

    Thor mulled his words over for a moment. “How can I trust that you mean Asgard or any of the realms no harm?” He finally asked.

 

    “I would never destroy my home,” Loki replied.

 

    “You have said that Asgard was never your home,” Thor said.

 

    “And it wasn’t,” Loki replied seriously.

 

    “Then how am I to be assured?” Thor asked somewhat exasperatedly.

 

    “Is it ever going to occur to you that it wasn’t Asgard, so much as who _lived_ there?” Charlotte asked almost as though speaking to a child. Part of her wondered faintly how much of her attitude was her own and how much was Loki’s irritation rubbing off on her.

 

    “... Mother,” Thor said softly at length. He was thoughtful for a while then looked Loki in the eyes, a silent understanding passing between them, and nodded sharply. “I will do what I can, but the Allfather will not let this go easily,” He said seriously.

 

    “We’re well aware,” Loki replied, “In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if the armies are ready to march as soon as you return.”

 

    Thor frowned slightly but said nothing of it. “It may not matter, but know that I will always call you brother,” He said, a corner of his lips turning up in a smirk somewhat reminiscent of Loki, “Even if not to your face.”

 

    Loki snorted lightly. “I know that, too, you sentimental fool,” He replied not unkindly. Thor scoffed and glanced pointedly at Charlotte then back at Loki with a raised eyebrow. “Go home, Thor,” Loki said, the evenness of his voice one Thor recognised as the tone he used to talk their way out of some misdeed when they were younger.

 

    Thor raised his hands as if in surrender. “As you wish; for now,” He replied, “I hope the next time we meet it will be under better circumstances, but I rather doubt it.”

 

    “The only way that will happen is when you’re king,” Loki said, so casually that Thor almost didn’t register his words.

 

    “Weren’t you the one who always said I’d make a terrible king?” Thor asked, somewhat shocked.

 

    “And I was right,” Loki replied unapologetically with a slight shrug.

 

    Thor opened his mouth to reply then seemed to think better of it and closed it. He huffed a slight laugh and shook his head. A small nod to Charlotte that she returned, and then he turned and walked back the way he came, his brother’s words turning in his mind. The Thunderer smiled slightly to himself, thinking about how much they had both changed.

 

****

 

    Loki was wrong about an impending battle as soon as Thor left, but they didn’t dare relax. He knew how Odin worked, and this was not over. It was only a matter of time. He stood a few feet away from the camp that had been set up, staring off into the horizon in thought. It was obvious to him what the Allfather was trying to do, sending Thor to meet them; they both knew Thor was the only person left alive who had a change at getting through to him. It would’ve worked, if there were even a doubt on Loki’s mind that he was in the wrong. But there wasn’t.

 

    He also knew that sending Oddr to lead the first battle had served an ulterior purpose. Odin never approved of that particular affair. Neither had Frigga, but her concern at least had been valid, as she had seen what Loki hadn’t about the man. When it ended the way it did, Odin had lectured him for a good hour about how foolish he’d been, and Loki never forgot it. Unconsciously, his hands clenched into fists, the snow around him rippling slightly.

 

    He hadn’t realised how lost in his thoughts he’d become until he felt Charlotte’s hand slip around one of his, easing it open so she could entwine their fingers. “Loki; don’t do this to yourself,” She quoted his words back to him, earning a slight bemused smile.

 

    “Subtle,” Loki said with light sarcasm.

 

    “You don’t need subtle,” Charlotte replied simply, “Just let me know if I need to knock the sense into you; ’cause I will.”

 

    “I know you will,” Loki replied then squeezed her hand lightly and smiled affectionately at her, “Thank you.”


	19. Chapter 19

    “Loki! Loki! Wake up, wake up, _wake up!”_ Charlotte spoke excitedly as she pounced on him in bed, blue hands grasping his shoulders and shaking rather vigorously.

 

    Loki startled awake at once, sitting up so quickly their foreheads almost collided. “What is it? What’s wrong?” He asked in alarm, his voice rough with sleep.

 

    “Not wrong; I did it!” Charlotte replied, positively beaming with pride.

 

    Loki blinked, clearing his mind out of the last traces of sleep, and looked at her more closely, truly registering the colour of her skin and eyes. In the months that followed since they discovered her unintended change he’d been seeing more of it; it was unavoidable when she handled the Casket, which was quite often. The fact that she was in her jötunn skin told him she’d been messing with it again, and after searching his now-awoken thoughts, he realised why she was so excited and grasped her forearms.

 

    “Show me.”

 

    Charlotte got off him to let him stand then grabbed his hand and practically dragged him out of the room. Just outside the doors stood Agmundr, who followed after when Charlotte walked past him as always, more out of habit than necessity. They passed a general flurry of activity on their way out of the palace; it seemed that Charlotte’s excitement was contagious, and if she really had accomplished what Loki thought she had, he couldn’t really blame them. Outside, their mounts were waiting for them; the horse-like frost beasts shifting on their legs as though eager to be off once more.

 

    Even before they reached the temple Loki could sense the magick emanating from it, and he recognised it well. He should; it was his own, after all. They had discovered a month prior that Charlotte had the potential for seidr wielding, and while she had a lot to learn for herself, she was quite good at channelling and using Loki’s power. To that end, he’d given her several crystals charged with his seidr; clearly she’d put them to use.

 

    “Well, you’ve been busy,” Loki commented as they walked into the newly restored temple, taking in the low humming coming from the Casket and the beam of strangely colourful energy shooting out of it and to the sky outside through an opening in the ceiling before looking at her, “Did you sleep at all last night?”

 

    “Pfft! Sleep is for the weak,” Charlotte dismissed humorously. He opened his mouth to protest but she shushed him with a hand on his mouth before he could get a word out. “I took a nap. Forget about that; it’s not important,” She dismissed and walked to the Casket before turning to look at him, “What’s important is what I’ve gotten us: Time.”

 

    Loki walked over to the pedestal and finally noticed the source of the colours: On top of the Casket were a few shards of the crystal the Bifrost was made of. He looked at Charlotte with a slight frown. “Tell me you did not use all of my shards on this.”

 

    “Of course not! Give me _some_ credit,” Charlotte replied indignantly, crossing her arms at her chest, “I wouldn’t be able to anyway; I can’t handle that much energy yet.”

 

    “Yet?”

 

    “Don’t you ruin my mood.”

 

    Loki raised his hands in mock surrender then looked back at the beam, studying it carefully. He had to admit, she’d done good work combining the different kinds of power for a single purpose. “You realise this won’t interfere with the Bifrost completely, don’t you?” He asked, looking back at her.

 

    “I know, but to get through it they’d have to do quite a bit of damage to the realm first,” Charlotte replied, placing her hands on her hips, “And that would make Odin look bad.”

 

    “They’ll still find a way around it.”

 

    “And by then; we’ll be ready for them.”

 

    He looked back at the beam, following it up to the sky. “Quite a message you’re sending,” He commented softly.

 

    “That’s the idea,” Charlotte replied somewhat sharply, following his gaze, “I’m tired of just surviving; it’s time we win this.”

 

    Loki looked back at her. “You think we will?”

 

    “I know we will,” Charlotte replied without looking at him.

 

    “A few months ago, the idea of fighting upset you; and now look at you. My battle queen,” Loki said fondly.

 

    She looked at him and he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her to him before leaning down to kiss her deeply, his skin slowly changing to match hers in subconscious response to the coolness of her lips. Charlotte responded eagerly, her arms winding around his neck to pull him closer. It felt like hours until they heard the subtle clearing of a throat somewhere near; they parted and looked over to see Agmundr leaning against a pillar, looking at them with barely concealed amusement.

 

    The older jötunn wasn’t at all bothered by their affections, he’d been much the same with his wife before she died, but they had a war to worry about and such distractions were hardly productive. There’d be plenty of time for that after they won; and he believed they would, if only because Charlotte’s conviction was infectious. Not that he’d made much of an effort to resist it, if he was to be honest.

 

    Charlotte cleared her throat a bit awkwardly as she took a step back once Loki released her. “So, anyway, yeah... We don’t have to worry about Asgard for a while,” She said, running her fingers through her hair. She tried and failed to completely stifle a yawn.

 

    “And now you need to sleep,” Loki replied pointedly.

 

    “There’s no time for that! There are a million things to do.”

 

    He crossed his arms at his chest and raised an eyebrow. “Need I remind you of how the _last_ time we had this argument ended?”

 

    Charlotte looked as though she wanted to argue further, but instead huffed and muttered something under her breath that sounded vaguely acquiescent before turning and beginning to make her way out of the temple. Loki looked at Agmundr and rolled his eyes, earning a chuckle from the hunter-turned-general, then they followed after Charlotte.


	20. Chapter 20

    Charlotte was asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow, which was hardly surprising, given the amount of energy she had expended since the previous night with only a one-hour nap to allay the exhaustion. After giving the order that she was not to be disturbed unless it was an emergency, Loki set about making the most out of the time she had bought them; a council meeting was called in the war room, with the aim of assessing what needed to be done, what they already had and what needed to be obtained as soon as possible.

 

    The past months had been trying, but their continued success in fending off the aesir forces had kept morale high enough. Still, they had yet to face the full army, though Loki wasn’t entirely sure what to make of that. He supposed it might be Thor’s doing, he _had_ said he’d try to convince Odin to back off; it was doubtful the Allfather would actually listen, though. More likely he was trying to wear them down. They had to be ready for when he realised that wouldn’t work; they’d come too far, sacrificed too much to lose now.

 

    And so they planned.

 

    It took several hours for every concern to be addressed; there were food shortages in the furthest settlements to relieve, new recruits to the ever-growing army to train, and as usual factions that disagreed with the way Loki was running things or had problems with Charlotte being queen. That last one was the easier to deal with, disorganised as they were, but he had to hand it to them; they certainly were persistent. Now, though, with Asgard’s access to the realm interrupted, he could devote more attention to the problem and hopefully eradicate it. They didn’t need to be fighting amongst themselves right now.

 

****

 

    When Loki returned to his chambers Charlotte was gone again, and he threw his head back with a tired-but-not-really-surprised sigh before turning and walking back the way he came. He made his way over to the training grounds and sure enough, there she was, practicing with a handful of throwing daggers she had conjured. Her aim was near flawless, but he’d known she had the potential for it since the day she had discovered who he was.

 

    “Do you just not understand the meaning of the word ‘rest’?” He asked as he made his way over, the other frost giants making way for him with nods of respect.

 

    “I did rest,” Charlotte replied without looking at him as she threw another dagger at the target before her. She frowned slightly as it landed on the dummy’s shoulder. “Off centre...” She muttered to herself.

 

    “You _slept,”_ Loki corrected, coming to a stop behind her, “ _Rest_ implies a bit of idling.”

 

    “I don’t like being idle; you know that,” Charlotte said, looking up at him over her shoulder, “Especially when there’s so much else I _could_ be doing.” And when she was idle, the weight of everything that had happened and could yet happen overtook her thoughts, but she didn’t want to tell _him_ that. There was enough to worry about as it was.

 

    Loki frowned, grabbed her bicep and pulled her with him, walking out of the room and into a more-or-less secluded alcove. “Now tell me what is really on your mind,” He said in a tone that brokered no arguments.

 

    Charlotte sighed and looked away but he grabbed her chin and turned her face back to his, looking at her expectantly. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, exhaling it slowly before opening them again. “I’m responsible for all this,” She said at last in a half whisper, “It was my idea for us to stay here.”

 

    “As you once said; I didn’t exactly put up much of a fight against it,” Loki pointed out and released her chin, “Do you regret it?”

 

    “No!” Charlotte replied quickly, “No; it’s not that. It’s just... Look, I knew this wasn’t going to be easy. I did. But... it’s just different; knowing there would be losses and actually _seeing them._ I...” She trailed off, her expression turning somewhat helpless.

 

    “Lotte... Dear, caring Little Lotte,” Loki said softly, cupping her face in his hands, “It’s only going to get worse.”

 

    Charlotte nearly choked on a disbelieving laugh before smacking his hands away. “You suck at comforting; you know that?” She scoffed.

 

    “Would you rather I lie to you?” Loki asked back, crossing his arms at his chest.

 

    “Sometimes I wonder,” Charlotte replied with a soft sigh.

 

    “Well, I won’t; I’d rather you be prepared.”

 

    “How am I supposed to be prepared to face the amount of funerals necessary because of my decision?”

 

    “And how many births will now be possible? This realm was dying, Charlotte. _Was._ And now look,” He turned her to face the window and the realm beyond, slowly but surely turning from barren wasteland to habitable space in the time the Casket had been returned, “All of this is because of you.”

 

    “Well, _you_ did most of the work,” Charlotte argued lamely.

 

    “Yes, but _you’re_ the one who told me to do it,” Loki argued back before tilting her face up and towards his, “And I’m glad you did.”

 

    “See; _that’s_ how you comfort,” Charlotte said teasingly. He opened his mouth to retort but she grabbed hold of the collar of his shirt and pulled him down for a kiss. “Thank you,” She whispered against his lips before letting him go.

 

    “It’s the least I can do,” Loki replied as he straightened up, “I’m not sure you realise just how much you have done for me, Charlotte, or how grateful I am to you.”

 

    “You could always just tell me,” Charlotte said with a shrug.

 

    “Or I could just _show_ you...” Loki replied suggestively, leaning down to her eye level with a rather predatory smile.

 

    Charlotte scoffed and shoved his face away. “You’re such a prick,” She laughed.

 

    “Maybe so, but I’m _your_ prick,” Loki replied lightly with a grin.

 

    “Lucky me!” Charlotte said sarcastically.

 

    “I’ll have you know many would _kill_ to be in your position,” Loki said in mock indignation.

 

    “Only because they don’t know what they’re getting into,” Charlotte retorted with a snort.

 

    “Well, it wouldn’t do to advertise,” Loki replied easily, taking hold of her waist and pulling her closer, to which she responded by draping her arms around his neck, “After all, if you had known; would you have let me into your home?”

 

    “Probably, but I’m a little crazy, so...” Charlotte replied with a shrug, earning a laugh.

 

    Loki leaned down to kiss her forehead before stepping back and taking her hand in his, leading her out of the alcove and back to the training yard to help her practise. Some of her worries were still there, he knew, and would likely remain until the conflict was over, but he was confident that at least she wouldn’t blame herself for what wasn’t her fault. He understood why she held herself responsible, but the fact was that not a single jötunn that had fallen had been forced to fight; they all knew the risks, and they were all there because they wanted to be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like maybe I've taken a step back with Charlotte in this chapter from the last. I dunno; it made sense to me.
> 
> I have no idea when I'll have the next chapter ready, as I've hit a bit of a roadblock. Hopefully it won't be too long. In the mean time, there's my other stories if you haven't read them! *shameless self-advertising* *sorry not sorry*


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